Ben Shelton and Jack Draper have both enjoyed the outstanding years of their young careers, but are currently sidelined with injury.
Coincidentally, their ailments were exacerbated at pretty much the same time, with both forced to withdraw from the US Open, despite heading into the event full of promise.
For the British number one, his decision to retire after winning his first-round match was unsurprising, given he had missed every tournament since Wimbledon in an effort to regain fitness.
However, for Ben Shelton, his injury was far more sudden and crushing.
Just as he seemed well on track to breeze past Adrian Mannarino and reach the fourth round, disaster struck, and an issue with his shoulder forced him to exit the court early. He forfeited the match the match and departed in floods of tears.
Whilst the extent of the injury remains unknown, perhaps it might now be the smartest decision to follow in Jack Draper’s footsteps regardless.
Ben Shelton could skip the rest of the year like Jack Draper
As two of the young superstars tipped as the most likely to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s domination of the men’s game, their respective retirements from the US Open severely weakened the draw.
But, with the Grand Slam season now over, there is little left to play for aside from a handful of higher-level tournaments, and potentially the end-of-year finals.
Especially given the American admitted that the pain he endured was ‘really high’, noting: “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
Whilst it would be tough to take, Shelton might well benefit from making the same decision that Draper has just made to skip the rest of the year.
After all, it should allow both to return in 2026 fresh, fit and raring to dismantle the current duopoly that has overtaken the ATP Tour.
Ben Shelton and Jack Draper could return ready to challenge in 2026
Obviously, forfeiting the opportunity to play in events like the Shanghai and Paris Masters and the end-of-year finals would not be an easy decision to make, but it would certainly mark a smart one in the long term.
After all, the issue that Shelton suffered was with his left shoulder, a rather crucial area for a player with such an explosive left-handed serve and forehand.
To continue playing through the pain just to feature in his first-ever end-of-year event would be reckless and could jeopardise his long-term future within the sport.
Not to mention that, after the year he’s enjoyed, the opportunity to feature at these prestigious events will be frequent over the next decade.
Having just withdrawn from the Laver Cup, and expected to continue to miss key events at the start of the Asian swing, Shelton might benefit from prioritising rehabilitation and returning alongside Draper in 2026 with a newfound freshness that could propel them to glory.
