Ben Shelton was knocked out of Wimbledon yesterday by an in-form Jannik Sinner and Jon Wertheim has admitted he was surprised at something the American did.
Shelton has enjoyed his best run at Wimbledon this year having previously not got beyond the second round.
He enjoyed a good win over Canadian performer Denis Shapovalov in round three but was unable to replicate his form against Sinner.
The Australian Open champion, Sinner, has now won 42 of his 45 matches this season, joining Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as one of the only players to do that since 2000.
After a defeat for Shelton, Wertheim admitted that something about the American left him a little bit surprised at this year’s Wimbledon.
What Jon Wertheim said about Ben Shelton after Wimbledon exit
Shelton has time on his side and he will come again when it comes to Wimbledon.
Although he gave a good account of himself at SW19 this year, there was something that Wertheim was left somewhat surprised by at the tournament.
He told the Served with Andy Roddick podcast: “Side note on Ben Shelton, he played a five-setter on Saturday, played two sets in doubles on the same day, so seven sets of tennis the day before he was supposed to play the number one seed on a show court. That’s a little surprising.
“I don’t think fatigue or injury played a role in this defeat on Sunday, he’s perhaps not quite there yet but there’s no rush, he’s 21-years-old and he will leave with his head held high.”
Shelton must prioritise singles matches in the future
If the talented young player is to start reaching the business end of the really big tournaments on a consistent basis, doubles action is going to have to take a back seat.
Shelton did manage to get through in the doubles but earlier today he and his partner Mackenzie McDonald were sent packing.
At 21, the player probably just wants to play as much tennis as possible but that will have to change if he’s to really go big as a player.
Shelton is the number 14 in the world right now and he’s got a massive chance to become a permanent fixture in the top 10.
Furthermore, he reached the quarter-final of the Australian Open in 2023 and also reached the last four of the US Open in the same year.
That suggests that the young player could go all the way and win the big titles but we’re as surprised as Wertheim with his participation in doubles action.
If he knocks that on the head for a year or two, who knows what he could achieve in his singles career.
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