Ben Shelton won the fourth ATP title of his career at the Dallas Open in Texas on Sunday, Feb. 15, defeating fellow American and good friend Taylor Fritz. The world No. 9 fought through a tough battle after losing the first set to come back and win the next two and secure the win.
After the intense match, Shelton spoke about what he does after winning big tournaments and what drives him to keep working hard to be better on court.
Ben Shelton Reveals the Driving Force Behind His Performance
Shelton defeated Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday on the Center Court of the Ford Center at The Star in Texas in a one-hour and 51-minute battle to lift the ATP 500. The top-ranked American showed near-perfect serving skills in the first set, leaving Shelton without any answers. However, the second seed decided to step up his game in the second set and stunned Fritz with his performance, taking it 6-3.
The third set, which lasted 52 minutes on its own, tested both players equally, with Fritz holding match points in the tenth game. Shelton then went on to win three consecutive points and take the result in his favor.
After the match, a reporter asked Shelton about how he takes advantage of winning a title and celebrates before shifting his focus to the next tournament. The American No. 2 gave a detailed and honest answer during the post-match press conference, stating,
“I am the type that’s always going on to the next. I can enjoy a title for a little bit, a few moments, think about how special it is, but I’m also thinking about what I want to do next, what the next steps are, how I can improve. That’s just how my mind works. Everyone’s different, everyone handles winning differently, losing differently.”
He then talked about feeling guilty whenever he stays off the court for too long, indulging in celebrations too much, rather than focusing on his preparations for the next tournament. He said, “I find myself having a feeling of guilt when I take a long time, or I’m celebrating too hard because yes, winning a tournament is great, winning a title is amazing. It’s also for me not what life is all about.”
Adding to this, he described the goal of his career, what he looks forward to achieving, saying, “My goal in tennis is to not leave anything on the table when I’m all said and done. Know that I exhausted every option and became the very best version of myself out there on the court. So that’s what I’m striving towards, shooting for, and that’s what kind of drives me and motivates me every day.”
This constant drive for improvement, despite him already being the second-highest-ranked player in his country and the World’s ninth-ranked player, shows the champion mentality that has defined his career. The immense success that he has achieved in his career in such a short time is all because of his desire to be better and eventually win on the grandest stages of them all.
Shelton’s Impressive Comeback Against Fritz in Dallas
In the first set, Fritz opened with a different level of gameplay, serving with extreme precision. He landed 72% of his first serves and won all 18 points, while winning 43% of the points on his second serves. He struck six aces while hitting 11 winners without committing a single double fault, and committed just four unforced errors, which led to his 6-3 win in the first set.
However, in the second set, Shelton reminded himself who he is and changed the tide in his favor. He struck 10 aces, leaving Fritz searching for answers to the bullets that he was firing, and managed to deliver 88% of his first serves. He won 66% of points on those and 75% of points on his second serves. He saved the two break points he faced while breaking Fritz once to take the set 6-3.
In the third set, both players delivered their best performances, with Fritz having slightly better statistics, but Shelton managed to win the important points. The second seed broke the first seed early in the third game, but was broken himself in the sixth game. When Shelton was serving in the tenth game, Fritz had three match points but couldn’t convert any of them. Shelton then broke Fritz in the very next game and then served out to win his second ATP 500 trophy, and fourth overall.
He is now set to travel to Acapulco, Mexico, where he will enter the tournament as the fourth seed, with the tournament scheduled to run from Feb. 23 to 28.
