Ben Shelton has endured a marathon spell at Wimbledon thus far, and his draw doesn’t get any easier.
After all, having just dispatched Dennis Shapovalov in a delayed match over five sets, he now faces Jannik Sinner, the world number one, seeking to upset his rhythm and bring an end to his reign of terror over the men’s tour.
So far in 2024, few have managed to even challenge him, but with a varied skillset and seemingly now picking up form, this 21-year-old superstar will have grand ambitions of causing him problems.
However, he will have to be far more than just physically on form to overcome Sinner. Fortunately, he has showcased signs of great mental fortitude of late too.
Ben Shelton explains how he beat Dennis Shapovalov at Wimbledon
Speaking to the official Wimbledon channels after winning yet another marathon match against Shapovalov, Ben Shelton spoke with depth and intelligence.
After all, as much as tennis can often be a physical battle between two players, the mental side of the game is so important as well nowadays.
The scale of this youngster’s brainpower was wonderfully outlined in this recent interview, where he revealed the tactical change he made mid-match to help him defeat the Canadian.
Shelton claimed: ‘There’s a lot of things I appreciate about five sets. The amount of time that you are out there on the court, it’s a physical test. You have to be ready to go the distance and be fit and in shape. There is also a lot of time for guys to make adjustments, so you can’t really just blow a guy off the court in one way. You have to be able to figure things out and make your own adjustments when the guy makes changes and starts figuring things out.
‘Today Shapo started doing a really good job in the fourth set of returning my serve and starting to neutralise so I had to change it up.
‘In the fifth set I started to serve almost every serve into the body and serve and volleyed. I think that’s the part I like the most about it, the game within the game.’
Could Ben Shelton trouble Jannik Sinner?
With a monster serve, an unorthodox left-handed game, and all the tools at his disposal to thrive on grass, Shelton could and should trouble most players on the ATP tour.
However, thus far in his young career, it’s fair to say that he has struggled to do so.
And yet, here we are on day seven, with the American preparing to face the world number one at Wimbledon.
An early exit in both Queen’s and Mallorca offered him disappointing preparation for this Grand Slam, but he has found form at the perfect time, even if all three of his matches have gone five sets now.
The physical toll these clashes might take remains to be seen, but if he is on form, Shelton arguably has the perfect skillset to upset the steely Italian enforcer.
Especially after Ben Shelton broke an all-time Wimbledon record this tournament, a feat which few are really talking about.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
