Ben Shelton’s US Open campaign came to a heartbreaking end on Friday after he was forced to withdraw mid-game from his third round encounter against Adrian Mannarino. After the match, the American opened up about his injury in his press conference, while emphasising his gratitude for the ‘blessings’ in his life.
Shelton kicked off his time in New York with wins over Ignacio Buse and Pablo Carreno Busta in his first two matches. He then took on Mannarino for his third round encounter. The American got the match off to a strong start, clinching the first set before his French opponent levelled things at one set apiece. Shelton then went on to win the third set, but started experiencing pain in his shoulder sometime before the beginning of the next set. The sixth seed eventually retired after losing the fourth set.
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In his press conference after the match, Ben Shelton shared that this ‘small setback’ was painful, but highlighted that he had a lot to be grateful for.
“Yeah, I mean, I got a lot to be grateful for. Been pretty fortunate. My life, blessings, talents, a lot of things God's given me. And, you know, a small setback like this. Yeah, it hurts. Yeah, I was playing really well. I was in form, a lot of confidence. Just so many things to be happy with, the way that I was playing, moving on the court, competing.”
He went on to add that despite this disappointing end to his US Open campaign, it has been a solid season for him, saying,
“But like I said, it's been a great summer. A lot of things to be thankful for. And you won't hear me over here pouting about how bad things are with, you know, the summer that I've had, the things that I've been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time, and, you know, the people that I got around me. Like I said, a lot of blessings.”
Shelton’s previous best result at the US Open includes a semifinals finish in 2023, where he lost to eventual titleist Novak Djokovic.
Ben Shelton addresses his painful injury at the US Open
During his encounter against Adrian Mannarino at the US Open, Ben Shelton took a tumble in the third set of the match, post which he began to feel pain in his left shoulder. While the American took a medical timeout and consulted a physiotherapist multiple times, he was eventually forced to retire.
Speaking about his pain level, the 22-year-old admitted he's never felt anything similar before, telling media,
“Yeah, really high (pain level). Not sure. You know, I never retired before. I'm not a guy who would retire if I could continue. Usually I'll play through anything and just kind of find a way. And whether it's sickness or injury, like, if I can stay out there, I can stay out there. I've never felt anything like this before. So, yeah, that was. That was kind of tough, I guess, the uncertainty. But yeah, I guess I don't have anything else to say.”
With this, Ben Shelton's 2025 Grand Slam season has come to a close. The American's year at the Majors has seen him deliver some incredible performances. At the Australian Open, he lost to eventual winner Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
A few months later, he went down to Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the French Open, with the Spaniard later lifting the trophy. In July, Shelton was once again impeded by Sinner in his hunt for his maiden Grand Slam title, when the Italian outdid the 22-year-old in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships.
