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The summer of Ben Shelton came to an abrupt end on Friday afternoon.
Heading into a deciding fifth set against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, Shelton, after encouragement from his father/coach, withdrew from the US Open, ending his title chase in the third round.
The discomfort started in the opening game of the fourth set. Shelton had just secured a 2-1 lead at the expense of his own body, crashing to the ground after delivering the decisive point. He motioned to his father, who also serves as his coach, as he tried to play through it. Shelton continued back and forth with his father, adjusting the game plan to one that relied solely on winning at the net.
A medical timeout early into the fourth set didn’t help, but the pain medication got him through the 6-4 set loss. Coming off the court, Shelton could be heard telling his box that it was the “worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.” Once the severity of the injury became apparent, Shelton’s father changed course and urged his son to withdraw.
The former Gator and World No. 6 left the court to a standing ovation as tears began to flow. Shelton propelled himself into the top 5 this summer — he’ll pass Jack Draper despite the third-round exit — and was perhaps the biggest favorite not named Alcaraz or Sinner to win the US Open. He just won his first Masters 1000 tournament, and Shelton is a crowd favorite, especially on American soil.
Before the injury, Shelton was in control.
“Honestly, he probably would’ve won that match,” Mannarino said. “That’s unfortunate for him, and lucky for me. I don’t really know what to say right now. I’m happy to be through, but I wish him the best, of course.”
Shelton hasn’t missed the fourth round of a Grand Slam since last year’s US Open, when he lost an intense battle to fellow American Frances Tiafoe. It’s also the earliest exit for the World No. 6 in a 64-man tournament or larger since April.
The good news is that Shelton isn’t losing any points from this injury, at least as of now. The bad news is that it’s unclear just how long he’ll be out. The Shanghai Masters in September and the Paris Masters in October are the final two 1,000-point events of the year. Missing out on both events would hurt his ranking.
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