US OPEN

August 28, 2024

Ben Shelton

Press Conference

B. SHELTON/R. Bautista Agut

6-3, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Ben, straight sets, a crisp 2:08. Your thoughts on the match today.

BEN SHELTON: A lot of good thoughts about today's match. I'm happy with the way that I handled some difficult-ish situations today.

I didn't feel like I came out playing my best tennis. I don't feel like I had a great rhythm at the start of the match. Grandstand is a fast court this year, faster than the other two stadiums, and slightly slanted sideways as well. So it's a bit of a different feeling playing on that court.

But I thought I competed well in the big moments today, came up with the goods on return of serve and forehands when I really needed them. I was happy with how things turned out.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You touched a little bit on this match. I'm curious if we're looking ahead, what are your thoughts on playing Frances a round earlier I guess than --

BEN SHELTON: Two rounds earlier.

Q. Yes, two rounds earlier than last year.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I'm excited. These are the type of matches that I love, that I live for. Being able to do it a little bit earlier in this draw, it still feels the same. Still feels like a huge match and one that I'm really excited for.

I know that the people love him here. Probably more than me. He's electric here, and his crowds are electric here. I was watching his match on Louis the other night, and it was pretty cool to watch.

We're good friends. It will be a battle. It will be a war just like the last two times we've played. Yeah, I'm more than excited to be out there with him again.

Q. What is your relationship like with him, and how has it evolved after each of these wins that you've had, both last year and then I guess it was Houston? Was that where? Yeah, Houston. Do you lord it over him a little bit in a funny way? Just curious how you guys relate to each other.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I think that we're both kind of goofy, especially in the locker room. He definitely knows how to bring out the clown side of me. I do the same with him.

I don't think our relationship has changed at all. I also think that he's very locked in right now, and he's playing some really good ball. He's playing a lot better than he was earlier in the year.

Yeah, but he's a guy that one of the things that I love about him is he can turn the switch off when he's off the court and in the locker room and hanging out, but he can really turn it on when he wants to, and he's on the court.

That's something that I've always thought is cool and a good quality to have on tour because obviously it's a lot of your competitors that you're in the locker room with. Most of the guys in the locker room you've either beat or lost to.

I think it's important that you're not just on guard all the time and looking at everybody with a stern look on your face. That's not me, and that's definitely not him (laughing). He likes to laugh and joke around and have fun.

When he comes on the court, especially at the US Open, he means business.

Q. I just wonder if I could ask you to compare yourself as a player now to the player that played Frances a year ago, how would you assess yourself now?

BEN SHELTON: I think I'm a more intelligent player. I think I'm a better mover. I think I'm -- I hit my backhand really well here last year -- but I think in general my backhand side, topspin and slice, is a bit more solid.

I think I'm a better first-serve returner this year. Last year I returned here extremely well in the second serve, but those are all areas that I've made strides. Then when I say I'm a little bit more of an intelligent player, I think I'm getting through my service games this year without having to light up the radar gun to do it.

Everyone in the crowd is screaming 150, 145, 150, but I found a really good groove maxing out at 134, 135 miles an hour.

Q. Does that make a difference to you in terms of saving your body or --

BEN SHELTON: For sure, yeah. I think if I can stay -- it sounds funny, but if I can stay a little bit lower at, like, 135, I don't really have the shoulder soreness or pain after matches that I certainly had last year.

I think it's really important because it was something that was coming up for me when I got to the second week of slams that my arm was pretty tired, but I've gotten a little bit better at hitting spots. If I hit a spot at 135 or I hit it anywhere in the box at 147, it's often the same result. So I think that my serving style is a little bit different this year than last year.

Q. Earlier Tiafoe was asked what was challenging about facing you. What would you say is challenging about facing Tiafoe now, especially that both of you have leveled up in terms of your ranking and your play style from Houston until now?

BEN SHELTON: I want to hear what he said about me too (laughing). I think it's tough playing a difficult Tiafoe because he's good at flipping points. He has the attacking game obviously where he can take time away from you, especially on that backhand wing. He's crafty.

He can win a lot of the cat-and-mouse points at the net, and he does a great job flying in when he has you out of position and finishing off volleys. I think when he's playing his best tennis he's doing that a lot.

I think it's also tough. He's good at flipping points. He's got, like, special hand skills off the backhand wing. So if you come into net and you don't come with authority and cover the right spot, he can burn you. I think that those are the kind of points and moments where he gains momentum and really gets the crowd going. Yeah, I think that he's a guy that can ride the wave of a crowd really, really well.

One second. What did he say about me?

Q. About your big serves and movements as well.

BEN SHELTON: Okay.

Q. I'm curious in your short time on the tour when you've been playing practice points against other players you've experienced any cheating, like with line calling.

BEN SHELTON: Maybe every once in a while. There are certain moments I'm like -- sorry -- I'll ask my dad. I'll be, like, Did he just hook me there? But, no, I don't think so. I think that most guys in general probably give more calls than take calls.

I haven't really hit with anyone who's, like, cheating me on purpose. I don't know. I think that we've kind of left those days behind, but it's also tough making calls when the serves are coming in really, really hot and you're not used to making them.

I think that every once in a while guys make mistakes, but I think most people, including me, err on the side of giving calls because, yeah, you don't want to be hooking anybody in practice. It just looks bad.

Q. What was it like in college or juniors?

BEN SHELTON: Anything goes in college because you're calling your own lines in the match. If I had a break point against a guy and I hit a winner, it doesn't matter if it was three feet inside the line, they're going to put the finger up and at least look at the ref and maybe the guy wasn't watching. That's kind of the college tennis vibe and atmosphere.

It was the same in juniors. USTA Florida Juniors there's some serious stuff, man.

Q. Ben, you spoke about your improvement since last year. What is your approach as a performer, as a showman, today versus a year ago when we saw the gestures in the match with Djokovic and a lot of really big bravado?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I think that was just kind of me being myself. Me giving some shout-outs to my friends. I think that it's something that I guess wasn't taken the way that I wanted it to be, but I don't think it deterred me from being who I am.

I'm always going to be somebody who doesn't back away from a challenge or get quiet when I get pressed. That's just not the type of person I am. You've got to pick your battles, you know, choose your moments to really get loud. Choose your moments when you want to do certain things.

But I'm not somebody who thinks about, oh, I'm going to do this celebration or, oh, I'm going to do this at this moment. It's just kind of spontaneous. It's what the moment brings, and using up too much energy at certain times can be a negative thing. One thing that I've learned is at the Grand Slams being fresh in week 2 is really, really important.

You know, playing three five-set matches in a row in Wimbledon off rain delays, playing doubles as well, you learn a lot from these experiences. Okay, when the US Open comes, maybe I'm not going to play doubles. Okay, I got through my first two rounds in straight sets, and I really stayed focused rather than having up and downs, emotionally being all over the place. Then you're grinding out a five-setter, and you've used so much energy that could have been used later in the week.

So I think it's a learning process for me. It's the evolution of Ben Shelton. Not that anything that I did last year was a bad thing or a negative. It was such a cool experience for me, and it was just kind of like my first big moment on a big stage.

Q. I just wondered if there's almost like a mutual understanding between you and Frances that these kind of moments, young, exciting players playing on a big stage here in the States, is kind of what American tennis needs in a way to reach casual sports fans maybe that are watching NBA and baseball and football?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, I think 100%. That's a great point. Frances is probably the best in our sport in the recent years on the American side of reaching that casual sports fan, being the guy that gets on ESPN or mainstream media.

He's got all the hooper friends who come to his matches, travel to see him play, the music industry. I think that he's done a great job of kind of putting American tennis on the map in different sports and kind of making it cool again.

Yeah, I 100% agree with what you said. It's always a big opportunity for me and him whenever we play in a moment like this, or any other Americans or players.

I think that another guy who has done it obviously in our sport recently is Carlos Alcaraz, 100% on the European side with the footballers and Real Madrid at the Madrid Open and a few other things.

I think it's really important that our sport continues to grow, and that's reaching young people and reaching out to fans who are not necessarily tennis fans, but just like you said, casual sports fans, so yeah.

Q. In that same vein with how well the American men are playing, with how many of you are ranked in the top 20 right now, do you feel like the quality of U.S. men's tennis is on the rise?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, the quality of U.S. men's tennis is 100% on the rise. I think that we've had a lot of guys for a while that you think are going to start pushing through into the top 15, top 10, guys who have already been there as well who are finding their form again.

This is the most guys that we've had in this competitive position in a while. The guy who's recently made that big push is Sebi Korda. Whenever somebody has that big push, it kind of puts the other guys on alert and I think makes them play even better.

Like when I had become the No. 1 American this year for four and a half minutes, Taylor Fritz got hot. I'm not saying that's because of me, but just a by-product, maybe coincidence. I think that the more that we continue to push each other, we're moving in the right direction.

Everybody wants that big, oh, next Grand Slam or next big moment for an American star, but I think the gradual improvement and progression is what's really going to put Americans more towards the top of the game.