Ben Shelton has joined a chorus of sports fans wishing NBA superstar Tyrese Haliburton well after the Indian Pacer suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury. Haliburton was playing for the Pacers in game seven of the NBA Championship playoff finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just seven minutes into the game, Haliburton collapsed on the court after attempting a basket.
The Pacers went on to lose the game 103-91, ending their NBA title hopes. Haliburton, a two-time All-Star, was confirmed to have suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, which could sideline him for eight to ten months. The Pacers announced that he would undergo surgery the following Monday.
Fellow US sporting icon Ben Shelton was quick to post Haliburton’s statement about his injury on his Instagram page. Haliburton turned to his faith to issue a positive message:
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"At 25 I've already learned that God never gives us more than we can handle. I know I'll come out on the other side of this a better man and a better player. And honestly, right now, torn Achilles and all, I don't regret it. I'd do it again, and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers. For the chance to do something special."
Ben Shelton has admitted that tennis was not his first choice when he was a boy. He was more interested in the NBA and American football, and baseball, and he was 13 before he picked up a tennis racquet.
Ben Shelton is yet to live up to expectations after a stuttering 2025
Ben Shelton has had a sketchy 2025 so far. After starting the year well with a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open in Melbourne, he's flattered to deceive. He reached the final at the BMW Open in April, but was soundly beaten by Alexander Zverev, 2-6, 4-6. Zverev defeated him again at the Boss Open semifinals earlier this month.
With his booming serve, Shelton's game is ideally suited to grass. Unfortunately, last year at Wimbledon, he came up against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16 and was dispatched in three sets. Regardless, he spoke glowingly about his love of the surface, per ATP Tour.com:
"I think there are a lot of things to learn on grass. I didn’t start playing on grass until so late in my tennis development and kind of developing a game style having never played on grass before. There's a bunch of things to learn and develop that have to do with movement, play style and things that I think that I'm learning and growing every single day."
Shelton also lost in the second round at Wimbledon in 2023. He's still only 22 and has time to improve. For now, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, at a similar age, are taking the tennis world by storm.
