Shelton on his match against Alcaraz: "I will need special tennis, but I'm ready"

Ben Shelton is fully aware that he is at the US Open 2026 facing one of those matches that can determine an entire sports career. The young American wants to make a statement and show that he is ready to strive for glory in Grand Slams. To do this, there is nothing better than measuring his strength against Carlos Alcaraz. He spoke about it in a press conference.

The moment is now. That must be what Ben Shelton thinks as he, at 23 years old, has been positioning himself as one of the most solid alternatives to the power established by Alcaraz and Sinner. He has never beaten the Spaniard (0-3 is the record) and against the Italian, it can't be said that there is a rivalry (1-9 is the record), but the American has been continually evolving and feels that this US Open 2026 is the ideal stage to change the course of world tennis.

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With two major titles already in his possession, namely the Masters 1000 in Canada for the last two years, and experience in Grand Slam final rounds, Ben Shelton is preparing thoroughly for the ultimate challenge of facing a Carlos Alcaraz who seems to be in top form. The American spoke in a press conference about what he expects from this match and surprised everyone by going to train after his comfortable victory over Tsitsipas, a clear demonstration of his work ethic and motivation regarding this match.

Ben Shelton getting a relatively training session in tonight right after making relatively light work of Tsitsipas. pic.twitter.com/O4lIrastpe

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 7, 2026

This is what Ben Shelton said about his upcoming match with Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open 2026

Assessment of his victory over Tsitsipas and importance of serving

Beyond his strokes, the American believes that one of the main reasons for his victory over Tsitsipas was his ability to stay focused and not get carried away by the events of the match. An emotional management that he wants to transfer now to the duel against Alcaraz.

"Today I was just more focused. I was more stable and I managed to maintain my emotional balance much better. For me, it's very important to be able to turn the page and immediately think about the next point, without listening to all the outside noise and keeping myself completely centered."

"I think that was what I did best tonight. It wasn't my best tennis, nor did I play a perfect match. But I was so focused and was able to repeat what I wanted to do point after point that I got into many games on his serve and applied pressure."

"For the first time in this tournament, I felt that I served with a very clear intention. And I'm not just talking about the serve, but also about what I do with the first and second shot after serving. So I'm happy that I pulled off a match without losing my serve even once."

Shelton is already thinking about Alcaraz, whom he praises

"It will require special tennis. I think the level at which Carlos is playing is truly impressive. Being out of competition for five months and coming back doing what he has done in this tournament so far is superhuman."

"We trained together before the tournament and I have been watching his matches. I think he is playing at a very high level. To me, he looks like the Carlos we all know, and that is impressive after being out for five months."

"I think it will be a great match and I'm really looking forward to that battle. I've never faced him here in New York, and obviously, I'm in the position I wanted to be in. I feel I played a good match against him in Paris, but now I'm serving better and returning much better."

"I also believe that I have improved my ability to withstand rallies from the back, the overall quality of my tennis from the baseline, and my mobility. Undoubtedly, this will be a different match. Those are probably the aspects of my game that have changed the most since then."

The adjustments Shelton is preparing against Alcaraz

"Yesterday I took the day off. I wanted to recover a bit and get back to a good routine after having played until two in the morning. Today there were a few things that didn't quite go the way I wanted, and I just wanted to adjust them a bit. Obviously, tomorrow I'll have time to keep working on them."

"But, at this point, the first and foremost thing is to feel good physically. From there, it’s just a matter of polishing up small details."

Since the moment the draw for the US Open 2026 was made, all eyes were on that potential clash between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz. Now, it is a reality, and both come in with very positive feelings, aware that this clash could be a potential final matchup. Who will win?

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Shelton, sobre su duelo contra Alcaraz: "Necesitaré un tenis especial, pero estoy listo"