Ben Shelton came within one victory of ending the longest Grand Slam drought in American men’s tennis. Instead, he walked away from the US Open convinced he still has a long way to go.
Alexander Zverev defeated Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in Sunday’s final, extending the wait for an American men’s Grand Slam singles champion to 23 years. Andy Roddick, at the 2003 US Open, remains the last to do it.
For Shelton, who falls to 0-6 lifetime against Zverev, there was disappointment, but also pride — and perhaps more than anything, motivation.
“I’m motivated,” Shelton said. “Disappointed with how today went. Happy with how I fought throughout the week, two weeks. Excited with the progress that I feel that I’ve made, but yeah, this one stings 100 percent.”
Shelton wasn’t satisfied with his execution against Zverev, particularly off the forehand. He felt too many attacking opportunities slipped away and identified becoming more lethal from that wing as one of the next steps in his evolution.
That process, he insists, is far from complete.
“I don’t think I’m anywhere near the player that I want to be,” Shelton said. “I think I’m a great competitor. I think I compete really well out there on the court.”
If the result hurt, the experience itself only made Shelton want more. He said he enjoyed the magical moment of walking onto Ashe ahead of a major final and called the feeling addictive.
“Walking out on that court today, there’s nothing like it,” he said. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. It’s an addicting feeling being in positions like this.”
Shelton has always viewed himself as a late bloomer, accustomed to chasing players ahead of him and gradually figuring out how to reach their level. His first Grand Slam final, even in defeat, is another stage in that process.
“I haven’t always been successful the very first time that I’ve been in finals,” he said. “I think that it’s an ongoing process for me.”
After spending recent majors watching the latter stages from home, Shelton finally experienced what it was like to be one of the last two players standing.
Now he wants to make it familiar.
“To win on Sundays, you got to play very, very high level of great tennis,” Shelton said. “Just got to be better.
“Try to keep getting better,” Shelton said, “and show up in Australia even stronger than I showed up here.”
Shelton obviously is a fine player and appears to be of sound character. My takeaway of his performance/play from the match was his lack of focus. He was distracted by trying to please the crowd (getting the crowd to cheer louder) and hitting the ball big. Zverev was focused on the mission. So focused he didn’t know the match was over. And not distracted by the usually ignorant crowd the US Open produces. Cheering mistakes is rude. But I guess if you pay for admission you get to act foolishly. They could learn from the Wimbledon fans.
It’s true that the crowd was raucous. Perhaps that just NYC. As for Shelton, I agree, focus is key. I’m not a fan of the college tennis ra-ra-ra pump ‘n grunt attitude. He needs to check that at this level. Once he acts like he belongs, he will.