Shelton: "To improve my backhand, I watched a lot of videos of Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic"

Ben Shelton continues his strong start to the season. The American left-hander, who reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, will be in the quarterfinals of the first Masters 1000 of the season at Indian Wells.

After his victory against Brandon Nakashima (7-6, 6-1), Shelton will face Jack Draper for a spot in the final four.

Shortly after his win, the world No. 12 discussed his room for improvement on his backhand and confirmed that he watches videos of some of the world's best players to improve in this specific area of his game. In recent days, before the tournament began, he had expressed his desire to become a more complete player.

"To improve my backhand, I watched a lot of videos of Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic. These players start their motion with the racket high and let gravity do the work as they lower their wrist.

Then, they manage to move toward the ball and hit with a greater angle than I do. The players with the best backhands on the tour, and in history, are recognizable by the speed at which they prepare the shot, how they change direction, and vary with the slice.

Additionally, I want to have full control over my serve, in all directions and trajectories. Now, I fight better than before and try to improve in certain areas.

In others, I feel like I’m already better than in the past, but I’m trying to piece together all the parts of the puzzle little by little," he told Super Tennis.