New York (AFP) – Little Ben, who left the United States for the first time in January to play at the Australian Open, has grown well in eight months: he is an irresistible Shelton who is hoisted inexorably into the quarter-finals of the US Open.
Published on: 09/04/2023 – 17:51Modified on: 09/04/2023 – 17:49
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Irresistible on the courts of Flushing Meadows with his 137 winning strokes already distributed in four matches (127 for Djokovic and 113 for Alcaraz with one match less), irresistible also in the stands.
Always smiling, practicing a lively game which allowed him to go from 171st to 47th in the world in Flushing Meadows in one year, the 20-year-old player who has 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 the world No.1 – at the time — 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”.
“Tear off the arm”
American Ben Shelton after his victory over Austrian Dominic Thiem in the second round of the US Open on August 30, 2023 in New York © AL BELLO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives
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 as he approaches the sound barrier: Sunday against Tommy Paul in the round of 16, his first ball was clocked twice at 149 mph (240 km / h).
“I almost tore my arm (…) 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 to chase miles per hour. I’m looking for efficiency on my service games”, he develops.
Even if his next opponent, whom he considers “like (his) brother”, Frances Tiafoe (10th in the world and semi-finalist of the US Open last year) likes to chamber him because they both wear tank tops — “When we pass each other in the locker room, he says something like ‘Dude, I look way better than you in this sleeveless t-shirt. You need to muscle those shoulders,’ Shelton laughs -, the native of Atlanta has an exceptional physique which allows him to be formidable in matches in the best of five sets played in Grand Slams.
Long live the five sets
“I love the format of three winning sets. On hard courts, I think I can perform very well in these conditions. I hope that one day it will be the same on grass and clay,” he says.
Indeed, since his quarter-final in Australia, he had not won two matches 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.
American Ben Shelton against Austrian Dominic Thiem in the second round of the US Open on August 30, 2023 in New York © AL BELLO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Archives
“Maybe that explains my defeats a bit and my inability to chain 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 when I serve best, that’s when 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, notes Shelton. But he is one of the best defenders and counter-attackers on the circuit. This time, I used a wider palette of my arsenal to vary the exchanges and unbalance it”.
It worked well. Will he manage 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 AFP
2023-09-04 16:05:28
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