Shelton, after falling to Alcaraz: "It's the time I've come closest to his level"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 1 Jun 2025 | 21.48

Shelton, after losing to Alcaraz: "It's the time I've come closest to his level." Photo: Getty Images

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Ben Shelton has shown at this Roland Garros that he is capable of playing his best tennis on the surface where he struggles the most. In fact, he has likely played his best match on clay that he can remember, and he did so against Carlos Alcaraz. However, it wasn't enough to defeat the Spaniard, who withstood the American's attacks and demonstrated his experience and composure in the key moments to take the match 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Nevertheless, Shelton leaves Paris with his head held high. Accustomed to delivering a much inferior version of his level on clay. The Atlanta native has dispelled all the biases that labeled him as a hard court player and proves that he can play his game anywhere. Now he faces another surface: the grass at Wimbledon. Regarding his great duel with Alcaraz, his improvement on clay, and his intention to approach the level of the Spanish player and Jannik Sinner, he spoke in the press conference after the match.

Mixed Feelings

"Both positive and negative feelings. I think my overall level was good. I believe I played well for most of the match and maintained my level, which pleases me. The most difficult part of playing against the best is sustaining the level over time. I am happy with that aspect of my game. I was disappointed with the end of the first set. I always feel that in slams, if I secure the first set, it's like a runaway train, and it's very tough. I make it very hard for the opponent, especially if I maintain that level. In the fourth or fifth set, if I have an advantage, I feel very confident."

"The last time I played against a defending champion in a Slam, it was Sinner in Australia and having similar opportunities in the first set, it's a bit frustrating to lose the first set in the same way because it takes away a bit of my breath. Overall, I think I played great tennis. I'm pleased with the evolution of my game on clay. Yes, I believe there are still some things I left on the table that I'm trying to improve."

Close to Alcaraz's Level

"For me, this is the closest I have felt - just talking about Alcaraz right now - It's the time I've come closest to his level, the most pressure I believe I've applied, the most comfortable I've felt in baseline exchanges, the best I've hit my backhand open when he pressed there. In that sense, it's also ironic that it's on clay, possibly his best surface, and possibly my least experienced surface."

"There are many positive things to take from it because, yes, I feel that my game is improving a lot. I don't want to be disrespectful and say, yes, I'm there, but I feel I'm close to starting to win some matches like this, and have these deeper runs more consistently. So, as you said, they're not two bad guys to lose to. With the two matches I've lost this year, I consider myself a good Grand Slam player. Yes, I hope to keep improving and take the next step because that's where I want to be."

Improvement on Clay

"I think my movement is one. I think I'm moving better. The return of serve, another important aspect, defending from my backhand corner, and being able to transition from neutral to offensive in baseline exchanges is crucial for me. I believe all these are things that, if I had played against a guy like Alcaraz a year ago or two, it would have been a one-way street. Apart from serving very well, I would have struggled in the rallies. I think today I did much better in the rallies from the baseline, in the stroke exchanges, in the cat and mouse games. I felt more and more comfortable. I think the more I continue to improve my movements on the surface and address some issues with the serve and return, the closer I'll be to where I want to be."

Enjoyed the Match

"I enjoyed it 100%. I think that's the kind of match, the level of match, the type of game I like, you know, strong shots from both sides. I think there were many great rallies. Yes, those are the kinds of matches you live for, the environments for which at least I live, and, you know, the situations in which you want to put yourself more and more."

In Awe of the Spanish Player's Game

"I always say that the best players on each surface are the ones who move the best. I think his movements are elite, the way he can retrieve an extra ball. Obviously, the explosive tennis and how he can use the angles and open up the court are very, very tough. So I think all those combined, the athleticism, the feel at the net, the touch, and drops, it's the complete package."

Self-Critique to Raise the Level

"I do it a lot. I think it's very useful for me to learn, especially when facing great players. But also how I handle those tight situations in the matches where I play well but don't win, it's like, okay, what happened at 6-5 in the tiebreak moment? How did I lose that point? What serve did I use? Did I miss my shot? Did I lose the first serve? For me, those moments in the matches matter the most and arise, and I think that's the piece I have to figure out. One of the most important parts of my evolution is how you play those crucial points, where you serve in those crucial moments, and if you return in those crucial moments," says Shelton, who despite his defeat against Alcaraz, leaves Roland Garros with very positive feelings.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Shelton, tras caer ante Alcaraz: "Es la vez que más me he acercado a su nivel"

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