Ben Shelton has revealed what it’s really like to play against Jannik Sinner.
And he should know more than most, having just lost to the 23-year-old last night to end his Wimbledon run at the quarter-final stage.
This marked their sixth meeting, with the American losing all but one. It’s a head-to-head record he will want to start rectifying before it becomes too lopsided.
However, that is easier said than done against a player of Jannik Sinner’s calibre, who takes Shelton’s exuberance and unpredictability and just bludgeons him into submission.
There are perhaps one or two players on tour who can genuinely compete with him from the back of the court, and even then, it takes something miraculous to keep him subdued.
It’s been interesting to see Shelton review his recent defeat and offer an insight we seldom get to see.
Ben Shelton’s reaction to losing to Jannik Sinner praised
Discussing the world number one, the best way to sum up his claims was that he had ‘never seen anything like it’ when playing him.
His unrelenting power and depth force you back, and unless you are on top of the point against Sinner, you’re behind.
This was the general tone of his words, as he sat slumped in his chair, understandably downbeat.
David Law of The Tennis Podcast, whilst sympathetic, almost thanked Shelton for his openness though, noting: “I think that’s great analysis from Shelton. He really lets us in there on what it’s like. He’s tough as well, Sinner, isn’t he?
“I mean, we’ve been talking a lot about Novak Djokovic’s compartmentalisation today. Sinner’s got that. He’s just so good at not letting external things into his head.
“And, if you’re gonna beat him, you better play one heck of a match.”
Shelton admitted he was not satisfied with his year thus far in that same press conference, despite making the second week of every Grand Slam this year.
What Ben Shelton said about playing Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon
Speaking in his press conference, Shelton admitted that playing Sinner is unlike any other task on tour.
He spoke openly and honestly about the brutal nature of a clash with the world number one, revealing: “It’s frustrating.
“There’s a lot of things. It’s two very different players and challenges. With Sinner, who I’ve played the most, his ball speed is really high. I’ve never seen anything like it. You don’t see anything like it when you’re going through the draw. When you play him, it’s almost like things are in 2x speed.
“I’m usually pretty good at adjusting to that speed. It’s difficult when a guy is hitting the ball that big that consistently off both wings and serving the way he is. I had the right idea for a lot of the match today. I served a lot better than I did in Australia. Smarter. Just went for it.
“But my first serve percentage dropped in the moments I needed it. I probably played too tentative. It was almost like a lot of the forehands I was hitting that you need to go for against a guy like that, I was kind of spinning them, topping out. Like I was playing on a slower hard court or a clay court.
“For me, I’m still learning on the grass what works and what’s most effective. I didn’t have a great day today of doing things that were gonna make him uncomfortable.”
From the stands or the TV, we can tell just how hard and accurately Sinner strikes every single ball. For the player on the opposite side of the net, that speed will be amplified to frightening degrees.
