Little Ben, who left the territory of the United States for the first time in January to go and play the Australian Open, has grown up well in eight months: he is an irresistible Shelton who has risen inexorably to the quarterfinals of US Open final.
Irresistible on the grounds of Flushing Meadows with his 137 winning shots already distributed in four games (127 for Djokovic and 113 for Alcaraz with one game less), irresistible also in the stands.
Always smiling, playing an exciting game that allowed him to go from 171st to 47th place in the world in Flushing Meadows in one year, the 20-year-old player who played on the American university circuit is one of the darlings of the public.
Roger Federer was not mistaken when he chose him to represent his brand of textiles and shoes for men, while for women the contract was offered to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
From a tennis perspective, Shelton is adding net play to his arsenal.
He worked a lot on his volley in training and now he “forces himself in matches to find the way to the net”.
“Rip off the arm”
For this, he even registered in the doubles tournaments: if he was eliminated in the first round of the men’s doubles where he teamed up with Christopher Eubanks, he however qualified in mixed with his compatriot Taylor Townsend in offering the public a show that can only skyrocket its popularity rating.
His serve becomes a lethal weapon by approaching the sound barrier: Sunday against Tommy Paul in the round of 16, his first ball was timed twice at 149 mph (240 km / h).
“I almost ripped my arm off. […] and I also lost my next two service games, ”he admits, insisting on the fact that he intends to vary his first balls so as not to accustom his opponents.
“Being able to vary the speeds is really important. 149 is cool, but I’m not on the court chasing miles per hour. I seek efficiency in my service games, ”he develops.
Even if his next opponent, whom he considers “like a brother”, Frances Tiafoe (10th in the world and semi-finalist of the US Open last year) likes to room him because they both wear tank tops. “When we meet in the locker room, he says something like, I look much better than you in this sleeveless t-shirt. You have to muscle those shoulders,” laughs Shelton. The Atlanta native has an exceptional physique that allows him to be formidable in best-of-five matches played in Grand Slams.
Long live the five sets
“I love the format of three winning sets. On hard, I think I can be very efficient in these conditions. I hope that one day it will be the same on grass and on clay, ”he says.
Indeed, since his quarter-final in Australia, he had not won two games in a row on the main circuit. It must be said that during these months he discovered two surfaces on which he had never played.
“Maybe that explains my defeats and my inability to string together two wins. I was not comfortable,” he says.
Because when he plays his “best tennis”, the pressure does not scare him, quite the contrary.
“I love those moments under pressure. That’s where I serve best, that’s where I get my extra shot or one of those volleys. That, I discovered this week “in New York, he says.
Proof of his learning speed, he dominated in the round of 16 his compatriot Tommy Paul (14th) who had beaten him in the quarterfinals in Australia.
In Melbourne, “I made the mistake of trying to pierce him on every shot,” Shelton notes. But he is one of the best defenders and counter-attackers on the circuit. This time, I used a wider range of my arsenal to vary the exchanges and unbalance it”.
It worked well. Will he be able to climb one more step to measure himself against what is currently best on the circuit, namely probably Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, or even Carlos Alcaraz in the final?
2023-09-04 16:07:00
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