Ben Shelton came agonizingly close to keeping his ATP Finals campaign alive in his second group-stage match in Turin, but a sudden fall on his knee during a rally abruptly stopped his momentum. The American still has a match left against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, and he later provided an update on his knee.
Ben Shelton Gives an Update on His Knee Following ATP Final Loss to Félix Auger-Aliassime
Shelton entered the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time, on the back of a breakthrough year highlighted by his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto. The American opened his Turin campaign with a straight-sets loss to world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, which made his clash against Félix Auger-Aliassime a must-win encounter.
The American made a strong start, taking the opening set 6-4. However, Auger-Aliassime fought back fiercely, turning the second set into a tense battle that eventually headed to a tiebreak. Leading 4-2 in the decider, the Canadian forced a demanding rally, during which Shelton lost his balance and fell heavily on his left knee.
Shelton appears to hurt his leg/knee, after which he double faults away the tiebreak
byu/Large_banana_hammock intennis
Displaying remarkable grit, the 23-year-old managed to pick himself up. It kept battling, returning Auger-Aliassime’s shots until the Canadian sealed the rally with a deft backhand slice to move ahead 5-2. Though Shelton limped briefly, he refused to retire and fought on. Though the American narrowed the gap to 7-8, two costly double faults eventually handed the set to the Canadian.
The third set proved equally grueling, but Shelton eventually lost his grip as Auger-Aliassime closed it out 7-5, bringing the American’s campaign to an end. The 23-year-old later gave an update on his knee during his post-match press conference.
“It’s fine, yeah. I don’t know. I think it should be okay. It was just one of those where, like, hit it really hard on the ground. It hurt really bad for the next 10, 15 minutes,” he said.
Shelton explained that he chose not to call for medical help despite the pain, relying on adrenaline to push through the match.
“I wasn’t about to stop and call the trainer, then come back and try to serve down a mini break and stay in the set. I just kept going. Maybe adrenaline. But I didn’t feel it at all through the whole third set,” he added.
Shelton once again displayed his trademark grit, choosing to continue despite tumbling and hurting his knee. While his campaign ends on a challenging note, the American can still take plenty of positives from a season that marked significant growth. He will now aim to finish on a strong note in his final ATP Finals match against world No. 1 Sinner, who has already booked his place in the semifinals.
