Ben Shelton Press Conference | 2024 US Open Round 2

Ben congratulations straight sets a crisp 208 your thoughts on the match today you can have that by the way it's a gift you can have that a Hershey's kiss I I like them but not not having any sweets right now um yeah a lot of good thoughts about today's match I'm happy with the way that I uh handled some diffic difficult is situations today um I didn't feel like I came out playing my best tennis I don't feel like I had a great Rhythm at the start of the match um grand stand is a fast fast Court this year faster than the other two stadiums and um slightly slanted sideways as well so um it's a bit of a different feeling playing on that Court uh but I thought I competed well in the big moments today um came up with the goods on return to serve and and forand when I really needed them so uh yeah I was happy with how things turned out well congratulations on into the third round thanks name and affiliation please Brian Brian Lewis nework post uh you know you you touched a little bit on this match I'm curious if we're looking ahead I mean what are your thoughts on playing Francis a round earlier I guess than two round earlier two round yes two rounds earlier than last year uh yeah I'm excited these are the type of matches that I love that I live for um being able to do it a little bit earlier in this draw it still feels the same still feels like a huge match um and one that I'm I'm really excited for I know that the the people love him here uh probably more than me they they he's he's electric here and uh his crowds are electric here I was watching his match on Louis the other night and it was uh it was pretty cool to watch so uh we're good friends um it'll be a battle be a war just like the last two times we played but uh yeah um I'm more than excited to to be out there with him again Matt then David hey Matt fman from the the athletic what is your relationship with like like with him and how has it evolved after each of these wins that you've had both last year and then I guess it was Houston was that where yeah Houston Houston I mean dude yeah I don't think did you lorded over him a little bit in a funny way what you say do you sort of lorded over him a little bit in a funny way like or uh like just sort of curious like you know how you guys relate to each other uh yeah I think that we're both kind of goof especially in the locker room um he definitely knows how to bring out the clown side of me and I do the same with him so I don't think our relationship has changed at all um I also think that he's he's very locked in right now and he's he's playing some really good ball um he's playing a lot better than he was earlier in the year and uh yeah but he he's a guy that one of the things that I love about him is he can turn the switch off when he's off the court and in the lock room and hanging out but he can really turn it on um when he wants to and and he's on the court so that's something that I've always thought is cool and and a good quality to have on tour because um obviously it's a lot of your competitors that you're in the locker room with Mo most of the guys in uh the locker room you've either beat or lost to or you've either beat or yeah lost to and um I think it's important that you're not just on guard all the time and uh looking at everybody with a stern look on your face that that's not me and that's definitely not not him uh he likes to laugh and and joke around and and have fun and when he comes on the court especially at the US Open he means business David hi been David law from the tennis podcast I just wonder if I were to ask you to compare yourself as a player now now to the player that played Francis a year ago how would you assess yourself now yeah I think I'm I'm a more intelligent player I think I'm a better mover um I think I'm I I hit my backand really well here last year but I think that in general my backhand side Top Spin and slice is a bit more solid um I think I'm a better first serve returner this this year uh last year I returned here extremely well in the second serve but uh those are all areas that I've made strides and then when I say I'm a little bit more of an intelligent player I think I'm getting through my service games this year with without having to light up the the radar gun to do it um you know everyone's in the crowd is screaming 150 145 150 but uh I found a really good Groove maxing out at 134 135 miles an hour um does that make a difference to you in terms of like saving your body or for sure yeah I think that uh if I can stay it sounds funny but if I can stay a little bit lower at like 135 I don't really have the shoulder soreness or pain after after matches that I certainly had um last year and I think it's really important cuz it was something that was coming up for me when I got to the second week of slams that my arm was pretty tired um but I've gotten a little bit better at hitting spots and if I hit a spot at 135 or I hit it anywhere in the box at 147 it's often the the same result um so I think that it's my serving style is a little bit different this year than last year young lady and then Lucy black Global um earlier Tifa was asked asked sorry TFA was asked what was challenging about facing you um what would you say is challenging about facing TF now especially uh both of you have leveled up until your ranking and um your playing style from Houston to now yeah I think uh I want to hear what he said about me too but um I I think it's tough playing a a difficult TFO because he's he's good at flipping points um he has the attacking game obviously where he can take time away from you um especially on that backhand Wing he's crafty he can win a lot of the C cat and mouse points at the net and he does a great job flying in when he has y y position and finishing off volleys I think that's when he's playing his best tennis he's doing that a lot and uh I think it's also tough he's he's good at flipping points um he's got like special hand skills uh off the backhand wing and uh so if you don't if you come into net and you don't come with authority and cover the right spot he can burn you and I think that that those are the kind of points and moments where he gains momentum and really gets the crowd going and yeah I think that he's a guy that when he can ride the wave of a crowd really really sorry really really well he one second what did he say about me about your bit serves and movements as well okay yeah but you looks like you did more research though I we have a transcript if you'd like to read it no no s hey Ben uh to from the guardian uh I'm writing a piece about practice and I'm curious if in your short time on the allour when you've been having playing practice points against other players you've experienced any cheating like we blind cooling maybe maybe every once in a while uh there's certain moments I'm like sorry I'll ask like uh my dad will be like did he just hook me there uh but no I don't think so I think that most guys in general probably give more calls than than take calls um I haven't really hit with anyone who's like cheating me on purpose I don't know I think that we've kind of left those days behind mind but uh it's also tough making calls uh when the serves are coming in really really hot and you're not used to making them so I think that every once in a while guys make mistakes but I think most people including me um air on the side of giving calls cuz yeah you don't want to be hooking anybody in practice it just looks bad like in college or or Juniors man anything goes in college I mean cuz you're calling your own lines in the match so you know if it's break point or if I had break point against a guy and I hit a winner it doesn't matter if it was three feet inside the line they're going to put the finger up and at least like look at the ref and maybe the guy wasn't watching so um yeah that's kind of the the college tennis uh Vibe and atmosphere and it was the same in juniors you know USA Florida Juniors there some serious stuff man uh we'll go Willie Richard end up with Peter Willie Willie w from ESPN Ben Ben you spoke about your improvement since last year what is your approach as a performer as a showman today versus a year ago when we saw the gestures and the match with jokovic and and a lot of really big bravado uh yeah I think that was just kind of me being myself um me giving some some shout outs to my friends uh I think think that it's something that I guess wasn't taken the way that I wanted it to be um but it I don't think it deterred me from from being who I am uh I'm always going to be somebody who doesn't back away from a challenge or get quiet when I get pressed that's just uh not the type of person I am but um you got to pick your battles you know choose your moments to really get loud um choose your moments when when you want to do certain things but I'm not somebody who thinks about oh I'm going to do this celebration or oh I'm going to you know do this at this moment it's just kind of spontaneous it it's what the what the moment brings and using up too much energy at certain times can uh be a negative thing and one thing that I've learned is at the Grand Slams being fresh and in week two is really really important um you know playing three five set matches in a row in Wimbledon a friend delay is playing doubles as well uh you learn a lot from these experiences okay when the US Open comes maybe I'm not going to play doubles okay I got through my first two rounds in in straight sets and I really stayed focused rather than you know having up and downs emotionally being all over the place and then you're grinding out a five Setter and you Ed so much energy that could have been used later in the week so I think it's a it's a learning process for me it's the evolution of Ben Shelton Not that anything that I did last year was a bad thing or a negative you know it was such a cool experience for me and it was just kind of like my first big moment on on a big stage okay Richard and then Peter Richard hey Ben I just wondered if there's almost like a mutual understanding between you and France is that these kind of moments young exciting players playing on big stage here in the states is kind of what American tennis needs in a way to reach casual sports fans maybe that are watching NBA and baseball and football yeah I think uh 100% that's that's a great Point um Francis is probably the best in our sport in the recent years um on on the American side of reaching that casual sports fan um being the guy that gets on ESPN or um mainstream media you know he's got all the Hooper friends who come to his matches travel to see him play you know the music industry it's just I think that he's done a a great job of kind of putting American tennis on the map in in different sports and kind of making it cool again um and yeah I 100% agree with with what you said it's always a a big opportunity for me and him whenever we play in A Moment Like This or any other Americans or players I think that another guy who has done it obviously in our sport recently is Carlos alarz um 100% on the on the European side with the footballers and uh Real Madrid at at at the mrid open and and a few other things but um I think it's I think it's really important that our sport continues to grow and that's reaching young people and reaching out to fans who are not necessarily tennis fans but just like you said casual sports fans so yeah okay last question um Peter splendorio New York daily news in that same vein you know you with how well the American men are playing with how many of you are ranked in the top 20 right now just do you feel like the the quality of US men's tennis is on the rise yeah it's the quality of US men's tennis is 100% On The Rise um I think that we've had a lot of guys for a while that um you think are going to start pushing through into the top 15 top 10 guys who have already been there as well who are finding their form again um but I this is the most guys that we've had in this competitive position in a while um the guy who's recently made that big push is sebie Corda uh and whenever somebody has you know that big push it kind of puts the other guys on alert and uh I think makes him play even better um like when I've become number one American this year for 4 and a half minutes T Taylor fris got hot um and I'm I'm not saying that's because of me but uh just a a byproduct maybe coincidence but uh I think that the more that we continue to to push each other we're we're moving in the right direction everybody wants that big oh next Grand Slam or next big moment for an American Star but I think the gradual Improvement and progression is what's really going to put uh Americans more towards the top of the game thank you thank you Ben