Ben Shelton reveals standout area of Jannik Sinner's game after Wimbledon quarter-final loss - 'Never seen anything like it'

Ben Shelton was beaten in straight sets by Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon on Wednesday. World No. 1 Sinner proved too good for the American, who was full of praise for his opponent after the match. Shelton revealed the "crucial moments" where Sinner "outplayed" him and spoke about his hopes for the summer on his "favourite surface" ahead of the US Open.

Ben Shelton revealed an area of Jannik Sinner’s game where he is in a league of his own after losing to him in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

World No. 1 Sinner shook off any injury concerns following a fall on his elbow in his previous match as he saw off Shelton in straight sets.

Sinner has now beaten Shelton in three of the last five majors, including at Wimbledon a year ago.

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And Shelton explained afterwards why Sinner is such a difficult opponent to face.

"His ball speed is really high, never seen anything like it," said the American.

"You don't see anything like it when you're going through the draw. When you play him, it's almost like things are at 2x speed. I'm usually pretty good at adjusting to that speed.

"It's difficult when a guy's 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 that I needed it, and I probably just played too tentative.

"It was almost like a lot of the forehands that I was hitting that I needed to go for, 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, what's most effective. I didn't have a great day today of doing things that were going to make him uncomfortable."

Shelton fashioned just two break-point chances against Sinner and wasn’t able to take either.

"My return's improved a lot, I'm returning well, but it's tough against a guy like that," added Shelton.

Ben Shelton had a frustrating day as Jannik Sinner claimed quarter-final victory at Wimbledon

Image credit: Getty Images

"You get to 30, and every single time that I got to 30, I didn't see another second serve. I hardly saw two balls after the serve. It was just first serve to a spot, and the forehand was gone, or there was no forehand.

"That made it difficult. I put myself in position a few times. When I did put myself in position, it wasn't really on my racquet. To be completely honest at 15-40, we played four points in a row, just too good. There's a 0-30 in the third set that maybe I had one look.

"Overall my return game has improved a lot. Just those crucial moments he outplayed me today."

Shelton is projected to rise a spot to No. 9 in the world rankings following Wimbledon.

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And he now turns his attention to the North American hard-court swing as he looks to continue to build momentum ahead of the US Open. 

"There's no doubt in my mind that I'm going back to my favorite surface now and the US summer a better player compared to where I was in March. There's no doubt," Shelton said.

"Athletic ability, movement, ball tolerance, shot selection, feel, finishing at the net, return game. It's like playing on these uncertain surfaces where there are bad bounces or the ball checks off a line. On clay you have a lot more bad bounces, you learn to adjust.

"I feel like my game has improved a lot, gotten a lot better. Fitness is huge. In the US summer that's one of my main focuses before I start in DC. I want to be at my best at the US Open."

Shelton’s best run at his home Grand Slam was in 2023 when he made the semi-finals.

Sinner will now play seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djkovic in the semi-finals on Friday at the All England Club.

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