The 2026 ATP Tour season is drawing to a close and eyes have already begun to turn towards the 2027.
Several top stars on the ATP Tour have already confirmed some of their early steps, including Alexander Zverev playing the Brisbane International and the United Cup announcing its lineup for the first tournament of the 2027 season.
Carlos Alcaraz, too, has been busy, confirming several events for his 2027 calendar, despite claiming he would play a limited schedule after the wrist injury he suffered in 2026.
The Spaniard is set to play the Rotterdam Open in February as he looks to win the ATP 500 tournament for a second time, after listing the trophy in 2025.
Alcaraz has also been confirmed to play Queen’s in June, after being forced out of the grass court tournament with injury in the 2026 season.
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It has now been confirmed that he will be joined by Ben Shelton, who has also signed up for the ATP 500 tournament in London.
Shelton didn’t play Queen’s this year, instead opting for the Halle Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.
However, he does have precedent at the London tournament, although he does not have a good record at Queen’s.
In his three appearances at the grass court tournament, he has won just one match. That came against Lorenzo Sonego in 2023, before he was beaten by Lorenzo Musetti.
In 2024 and 2025, Shelton was beaten in the first round of the tournament, against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Arthur Rinderknech.
Grass court tennis is by no means Shelton’s forte, as he has also struggled at Wimbledon throughout the years. He’s reached as far as the quarterfinals just once in his four appearances, which have also included a first round and second round exit.
The American did, however, win his first grass court title this season, at the Stuttgart Open. Shelton beat the likes of Taylor Fritz, Jiri Lehecka, and Marcos Giron to win the ATP 250 event, so he is clearly improving on the surface.
He will, of course, arrive at Queen’s next year with Juan Carlos Ferrero as his new coach, after making the announcement in early November that the Spanish coach would join his team in 2027.
As well as Shelton and Alcaraz, the ladies draw at Queen’s has also announced a new name for the WTA 500 tournament. Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova is set to appear at the tournament for the first time in her career.
The women’s draw was re-introduced at Queen’s in 2025 after 53 years and it has subsequently been won by Tatjana Maria and Donna Vekic.
