‘I’m close to putting it all together:’ Shelton isn’t discouraged by recent loss to The Sinner – Tennis Now
Paper clues tell a story. Vision tests tell us another thing. In Ben Shelton’s mind, he knew he was getting closer to where he wanted to be, even though he had lost 22 straight sets and nine straight fights to Italian boxer Janik Sinner.
Shelton, who was defeated by the four-time Grand Slam champion 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Day 10, was optimistic after the game, telling reporters that his game is still developing and, most importantly, things are moving in the right direction.
“I think I’m getting better and I’m getting better and have less limitations,” Shelton said. “I think this game takes time, and results don’t always come when you want them to. I’ve gotten to the point now where, for the most part, I’m held back by the toughest challenges in the game, but I do think I’m close to putting it all together.”
That’s all thanks to Shelton, who now has a 36-14 lifetime record in the majors. The former Florida Gator has reached the quarterfinals in five of his past 13 majors, and the only player to beat him at a major since the start of last season was not Sinner (3) or Alcaraz (1) but Adrian Mannarino, but that was in the fifth set when he retired with a shoulder injury.
Shelton, who won the first time he faced Sinner in his career but has now lost nine straight, said he just needed a breakout moment. He had never been able to find a way to counter Sinner, and he felt that if he could do that, his chances of an upset would be greatly increased.
“I think it just takes one time for me [finally] It’s something that gets me through the hard times,” he said. “It’s always been that way for me. Of course, I’m not going to be discouraged by a performance like this, but you know, I’d like to see myself get ahead in the match and see what I can do in the match and not fall behind just because I know what it feels like to be ahead in a major. I felt like, you know, I was untouchable. I guarantee other senior people feel the same way.
“So, for me, I think, you know, it’s just a matter of time and work to put the pieces together because I’m not complete yet, but I feel like I’m becoming more complete.”
