Ben Shelton already told one area of his game he simply has to improve by Brad Gilbert after his loss to Jannik Sinner

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Brad Gilbert has delivered an instant review of Ben Shelton’s performance after he was brushed aside by Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

As the match began and the first set dragged on, it genuinely seemed like we had a competitive match on our hands.

When it was taken to a tiebreak, that notion was confirmed.

Losing a set to Jannik Sinner in that fashion can be forgiven, as so many before Ben Shelton have. However, his consistent inability to trouble the Italian’s serve caused him issues throughout, and heaped pressure on his own serve, which then gave way at crucial moments.

This, along with another key area, caught the eye of Coco Gauff’s former coach.

Brad Gilbert reviews Ben Shelton’s performance vs Jannik Sinner

Gilbert, speaking live on ESPN immediately after the match, did not hold back in his assessment of Shelton’s display.

After all, whilst he had great appreciation for the Sinner showing, the heralded coach felt like his task was made far easier by the American’s shortcomings.

He offered some advice to his compatriot, starting by claiming: “Well, he’s got to improve his return of serve and his backhand. I mean, those are two things, but the problem is all of the guys, you know, the Sinner, Alcaraz effect, they’re constantly working on their game, constantly making – Look how much Sinner has been tweaking his serve. He’s always searching to improve his game. 

“It’s the same for Shelton, though. He’s had a really good level, but to compete and beat the top two, he’s going to definitely have to improve his backhand a lot more.

“And I think that he’s probably going to have, you know, all parts of his game… when you’re 22, there’s not one part of your game, what do you think you should say? At 22, this is set. I’ve got to get it better.”

“And one thing I forgot to mention, the biggest thing for Ben is that his numbers are way too low on breaking serve. He’s got to improve that.”

Sinner delivered an update on his elbow injury immediately after the match; an issue that many thought would give Shelton an even greater chance of causing an upset.

Ben Shelton’s awful Grand Slam record vs top-three players continues

Whilst Shelton seldom loses to players he’s not supposed to at Grand Slams, he boasts a worryingly poor record when forced to then face the sport’s elite.

In fact, the 22-year-old has just six career top 50 wins at majors, having lost to Sinner and Alcaraz in four of the last five Grand Slams including this year’s Wimbledon.

Another interesting fact is that he has also lost all five tiebreaks against this duo and Novak Djokovic, highlighting perhaps a weakness when it comes down to the crucial moments against the very best players.

Shelton is a clutch player and has proven that time and time again.

He shows up for the big occasion and enjoys a strong run at nearly every slam he enters.

However, as Gilbert has pointed out, he has so much left to learn before he can truly start to compete for these titles, both mentally and technically.