“They’re bouncy": Ben Shelton agrees with Djokovic on Indian Wells court changes

Ben Shelton has shared his thoughts on the Indian Wells courts following a change in surface material. The American agreed with Novak Djokovic’s assessment after tournament organisers decided to switch materials for the first time in 25 years.

The organisers announced in a statement that they had changed the court surface, moving from Plexicushion to Laykold, the same material used in other major US tournaments such as the US Open and the Masters events in Miami, Cincinnati, and Canada. The goal? To speed up the courts and align them with the conditions of those tournaments.

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Shelton opened his singles campaign with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory over Argentina’s Mariano Navone, who had previously eliminated home favourite Lerner Tien. Following his win, the American pointed out the high bounce of the ball, echoing Novak Djokovic’s recent comments.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had spoken after his first-round exit against Botic van de Zandschulp: "To be honest, the difference between the center court and the other courts is immense," Djokovic said. "The ball is bouncing on the center courts higher than some of the highest clay courts, to be honest. I just struggled a lot with that, couldn’t find the rhythm."

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Shelton backed up Djokovic’s words during his on-court interview after beating Navone: "They’re bouncy. I think my serve bounces up,” he stated. “I get liveliness out of the ball even when it’s a bit colder at night. Conditions are different every week. You’ve got to be able to adapt and adjust. All the greats are able to do that," he added.

"You just have to keep an open mind and put work in on the practice court every day to try to get more acclimated. For me, I got here early. I put in a lot of work the last seven days. Happy to see some of it pay off today."

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The American will return to action on Monday against 22nd seed Karen Khachanov in their first-ever tour-level meeting. Shelton had never previously won a match at Indian Wells and will now aim to reach the fourth round for the first time.

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