Ben Shelton was unable to advance to the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday, defeated by Jannik Sinner in straight sets.
Shelton was unable to seriously challenge Sinner throughout the contest, eventually losing the match 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Shelton has now lost his last nine matches against Sinner, dating back to the 2023 Vienna Open.
Brad Gilbert, the former coach of Coco Gauff and Murray, has pinpointed the key mistake Shelton made which inhibited his success against Sinner.
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Brad Gilbert criticises Ben Shelton’s serving against Jannik Sinner
Brad Gilbert, who was an instrumental figure in the career of Andre Agassi, has weighed in on Shelton’s concerning area against Sinner.
In a post on X, Gilbert said: “We said in the morning yesterday, Shelton’s got to try and establish the serve. He’s got to be able to drop 25, 30 aces. He’s got to have that ‘Dr. Evil’ mentality that Isner or Roddick… take the racket out of their hands.
“Because once the rally goes against Sinner… forehand and backhand are significantly better and the movement. And yesterday, every service game for Shelton, god he had to work!
“But too many slices, kicks, curve-ball serves and just routine. So I guess that’s 22 sets on the trot but they got to be able to figure that out.
“But it starts with Shelton. He’s got to be able to establish the fast ball. And hell, 50 per cent of the time I think he should be going for second-serve bomb! Make the match not a rhythm match.”
Despite Gilbert’s comments, Shelton served well against Sinner. The American served eight aces and made 76 of his first serves; winning 65 per cent of those points.
Comparatively, Sinner served five aces, made 60 per cent of his first serves and won 76 per cent of his first-serve points.
The difference between Sinner and Shelton was on the second serve. Sinner won 76 per cent of his second-serve points, compared to Shelton’s 48 per cent.
Ben Shelton’s ranking falls
After losing to Sinner on Wednesday, Ben Shelton is set to fall two places in the ATP rankings to world number nine.
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This is because the American did not match his semi-final run at last year’s event, and he has subsequently lost 400 ranking points.
Consequently, Shelton will fall below Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Shelton, who has become an expert at winning five-set tennis matches, will hope to bounce back at the Dallas Open; a tournament set to take place from February 9 to 15.
