US OPEN

August 30, 2024

Ben Shelton

Press Conference

F. TIAFOE/B. Shelton

4-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Ben, a heavyweight battle on a Friday afternoon. Your thoughts.

BEN SHELTON: My thoughts? It's a tough one. Obviously I thought it was a great match. I thought I did a lot of really good things throughout the five sets. You know, there's two big opportunities that are kind of replaying in my mind I wish I had back. And other than that, you know, congrats to Foe. Too good. I thought once he got that lead in the fifth, he really started to fly.

I think I can take some positives from this match, but yeah, definitely a few shots I want back.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Just talk a little bit about the emotions, the environment out there. Obviously you have been there before, but what did it feel like today?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, it didn't feel like a third-round match. Felt like one of those that you play late in the two weeks. Should have been a night match, but it is what it is (smiling).

But yeah, a great atmosphere. It was just one of those back-and-forth, back-and-forth, and I wasn't able to capitalize on the chances I had in the end, and when he had them today, he really came through in the big moments.

I thought since I've been on tour, today was probably the best that anyone has returned my serve that I have seen. From early in the match, there was one where I went big out wide, like 130, and he cracked it down the line clean, hit the baseline, and I was, like, Oh, one of those days.

Q. Tough loss today, but at the end of the match, you looked like beyond what a normal competitor, even someone who is friends in terms of happiness for Frances, you looked genuinely excited for him. What were you kind of thinking? Were you excited for him? What did you guys chat about at the net?

BEN SHELTON: Well, you play a five-set match like that with somebody that you're friends with, I think...

Someone's blowing up my phone.

Hey, I'm in a press conference, Dad. I'll be out in a couple minutes. Bye.

Sorry. There was a few calls in a row. Can you ask the question again?

Q. You just seemed really, really excited for Frances. What were kind of the emotions going through your mind when you met at the net and what did you guys chat about?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, obviously I thought he played lights-out today. That was one of the things you've got to be happy for a guy and congratulate, especially a guy like him when he's playing the way he's playing.

I think that it's important to show it sometimes that, you know, you can be happy for a guy when they beat you. Obviously there are some things I want to do better. I'm a competitor. I always want to win.

But, you know, I've taken a few things from him in the past year, and I thought that he's always handled it well. You know, maybe not like a big embrace when we're on the court. But soon or right after it's like things are back to normal.

But one of those cool environments in matches to be a part of. It didn't feel right to just go up with a negative look on my face, shake his hand and walk off the court, because he played some great ball today.

I told him, you know, keep serving like that, keep returning like that, and see where this thing goes. Obviously he took me out here, so let's see what he can do.

Q. What do you mean when you say you're happy for him, especially a guy like that? The way he plays, the way the start of the season went? What did you mean by that?

BEN SHELTON: No, just a guy like that, how good of a guy he is, always smiling, not really ever a negative look on his face. One of those guys that's fun to be around in the locker room. You know, he's always cracking jokes. Even I beat him in the final of Houston, he's giving me shots in his post-match speech, just like a good guy.

I didn't mean anything negative by it. Just a great guy, yeah.

Q. What do you think this rivalry, as well as the friendship, but with the great level of play and the passion you guys bring, can mean to the two of you and to this sport in this country in the years to come?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I think it's really cool to see where American tennis is going. It's not just me and Foe, you know, there's four or five other guys in the mix.

We all are going to have our moments to shine. There is peaks and valleys in this sport, for sure. I just gotta continue to improve.

I know that this is, even though, you know, maybe I looked happy for him or excited for him after the match, it definitely lit a fire underneath me. I'm not someone who likes to lose; I hate losing.

Yeah, I'm excited to see where American tennis goes, and I'm going to continue doing my part and go back to the drawing board, you know, look at those things that I did today that I wish I hadn't done and try to get better.

Q. Tough one today. What's your process of, like, learning from your losses? It's a long match. Will you watch, like, a video of the whole match at some point, or specific spots? You know, when you think about what happened there, are there already things in your head that you're thinking, like, I should have done that differently or that differently?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, for sure. I think sometimes I need a little bit more time to look at it analytically. Sometimes just emotion gets in the way, but this one, you know, seems pretty clear to me. I thought that he did a great job defending, being offensive off his backhand wing today. It was like four sets, I think he missed one.

He was cracking it down the line, and small margins. He was hitting that ball an inch over the net a couple feet from the baseline mostly, unless he went angle. It was just one of those days where that's a corner you just don't want to go to.

I have service line forehands ripping the ball to that corner off the court, he's coming up with the angle there. So I wish I would have got into different patterns a little bit more when I was playing sometimes, starting off the point to that -- that corner was just not a winning play today.

I wish I did a little bit better job on some key points early in the fourth and fifth set, especially early in the fourth. I kind of had a chance to be on my way to putting the match away, first game.

I had a Love-30 where I made an unforced error at Love-30 and had a second-serve look where I missed a forehand by 47 feet.

Then early in the fifth, 1-All, I had 15-40 again and that 30-40 I had a sitter forehand in the middle of the court and missed that inside out, which is a play that I have been killing guys on so far this week, and one of the ones that I was the most confident in.

It's just errors that can't happen in a match like this. Yeah, those are my kind of first thoughts, and I'm sure that I'll see others when I watch the match fully.

Q. You said that you thought the match would be a night-session match. Could you elaborate a bit more on than, if you prefer playing at night or in the day.

BEN SHELTON: No, I don't mind either way. I know that me and Foe both definitely wanted this to be a night match. You know, we talked about it in the locker room, either last night or this morning, I forget. It was, like, yeah, even if it was on Louis, we would have rather been on that night slot. We played here at night one year ago. It feels right. You know, Friday night, Ben versus Foe. I'm sure that he's going to get a night match here in his next match probably.

But yeah, it was still an unbelievable atmosphere, but I think playing at night is a little bit different and special at the US Open, for sure. I'm probably just a little butt-hurt because I didn't get to bring out my night-session kit. (Laughter.)

Q. Obviously a tough loss, but speak to the significance of you and Frances doing this at a stadium named after Ashe two years in a row?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, this is something that me and Foe spoke on continuously, and after the match last year, and obviously it's always a little bit tougher to speak on the positives as the guy who loses, but I think big moments for our sport, for sure. Kind of just shows how far we've come.

Yeah, I think it's only going to continue to improve. I think that Foe is the best at reaching the casual sports fan in our sport, especially here in America. I'm sure there was more celebrities who I don't know in the crowd than I can imagine to come watch Big Foe, and me as well, but I think that's something that he's kind of helped change the culture in our sport and in the last few years, and one of those things that I can look to try to do, as well.