Ben Shelton is candid about Jannik Sinner: “Almost superhuman”

Winning the U.S. Open is Ben Shelton’s lifelong dream: the American tennis player, who advanced to the third round after defeating Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, feels he has what it takes to pull it off this time. The absence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s still-shaky form, combined with Novak Djokovic’s elimination, have given the American left-hander hope, and he’s now thinking big.

In an interview with Boardroom Talks, Shelton explained what still sets him apart from the greats: a lack of focus during the decisive moments of a match. “When I started playing professionally, my focus was terrible. I’d play, win a set, and then lose the next one right after, without even remembering what had happened in the last 20 minutes.”

Over the years, Shelton has improved, but his goal is to catch up to Sinner and Alcaraz: “I think this is another fundamental aspect of our sport: you have to train. You need incredible mental focus to approach matches with the ease that Jannik or Carlos sometimes show.”

“You need almost superhuman concentration because you have to repeat the same action over and over again, point after point, for the entire duration of the match, just as they do. It’s very difficult, but probably the most important part of our sport.”

Even his colleagues from across the ocean seem to believe in this historic opportunity. Tommy Paul, interviewed on the “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, described a very charged atmosphere in the U.S. locker room: “In the locker room, there’s a lot of talk about Sinner’s absence—Carlos hasn’t played in a long time… Everyone is fired up. Even if Sinner were here, we’d still be excited to play in the tournament, but I think everyone in the locker room is thinking with great enthusiasm about this opportunity to win.”