Ben Shelton, widely tipped as a strong contender to win his first major at the US Open, was forced to retire midway through his third-round match against French veteran Adrian Mannarino.
A visibly distraught Shelton stopped due to a shoulder injury with the match tied at two sets apiece. Among those moved by the turn of events was former world No. 1 Andy Roddick, who expressed his sympathy and heartbreak.
Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick Weighs In on Ben Shelton’s Injury
In the latest edition of his popular podcast, “Served,” 2003 US Open champion Roddick explained why Shelton’s injury could not have come at a worse time for the rising American.
“The injury that just broke my heart yesterday, you can see how emotional it made him, was Ben Shelton,” Roddick said. “All injuries should get a level of sympathy and empathy from us watching. When Ben has been playing as well as he has been playing, and you are at your home slam, and the eyeballs are on you, and simply can’t play because of a physical injury, I hated it for Ben.”
Roddick noted that Shelton’s progress in the past year made the setback even tougher to watch.
“Because he has made so much progress this year with the way he’s learnt how to pitch a better ball game with that serve,” Roddick said. “The raw skills of Ben Shelton have always been there. He looks like an athlete, he looks like he could walk out and play any sport well. He’s learnt how to play tennis.”
“He’s learnt how to distribute shots to get traffic flow to the areas that he wants. He’s learnt how to pitch a better ball game where it’s not as if he’s down 0-30 because he’s made bad choices on how and where to serve. That also doesn’t happen by accident.”
For Roddick, the mix of Shelton’s talent, growth and misfortune made his exit especially poignant. “I was absolutely heartbroken for Ben,” the former No. 1 said.
Ben Shelton Remains Optimistic Despite Heartbreaking US Open Setback
Despite his exit from the US Open, Shelton remained optimistic in his post-match interview.
“I’ve got a lot to be grateful for,” he said. “Been pretty fortunate with my life, blessings, talents, a lot of things God’s given me. You know, a small setback like this, yeah, it hurts. I was playing really well, I was in form, a lot of confidence. Just so many things to be happy with the way that I was playing, moving on the court, competing.”
He continued, “But like I said, it’s been a great summer, a lot of things to be thankful for.”
Shelton added that perspective helps him keep the setback in check: “You won’t hear me over here pouting about how bad things are with the summer that I’ve had, the things that I’ve been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time and the people I got around me, like I said, a lot of blessings.”
