US OPEN

August 29, 2025

Ben Shelton

Press Conference

A. MANNARINO/B. Shelton

6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Ben, can you talk about the level of pain and discomfort you had at the end of it.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah. Really high. I'm not sure. You know, I never retired before. I'm not a guy who would retire if I could continue.

Q. Can you tell what it's like to play Adrian and the different challenges he presents to other guys on tour.

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, he's a great player. Sometimes tough to find answers against him. He just seemed to not have any holes. He returns really well. He has a different serving style that makes it difficult to deal with. Yeah, he's a great player. Had a lot of battles with him.

Q. Ben, do you know when exactly you hurt yourself? Did you come in with an issue? That fall at the end of the third set? Or can you pinpoint exactly what might have happened with your shoulder?

BEN SHELTON: No, I can't pinpoint it. Didn't go in with an injury. I'm not sure.

Q. Going into that fourth set, how aware were you that if you couldn't finish the fourth set you wouldn't be able to finish the match?

BEN SHELTON: I mean, I was just trying to adjust and figure out whatever I can to keep competing, you know. Even though I was in pain, I was just kind of in that competitive mindset of trying to find a way and push through it.

And, yeah. So it was not really a thought in my mind.

Q. Sorry about the injury. Do you guys know if you have any plans to do any imaging or anything like that set up?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, we'll see. We'll see.

Q. Obviously the nature of sport is losses are tough. Injuries are part of the sport. But given the form you came in with, is this the hardest one you've ever had to stomach?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, man, I've got a lot to be grateful for. Been pretty fortunate with my life; blessings, talents, a lot of things God's given me.

You know, a small setback like this, yeah, it hurts. I was playing really well, I was in form, a lot of confidence. Just so many things to be happy with the way that I was playing, moving on the court, competing.

But like I said, it's been a great summer, a lot of things to be thankful for. You won't hear me over here pouting about how bad things are with the summer that I've had, the things that I've been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time and the people I got around me, like I said, a lot of blessings.

Q. You said you haven't been through these kind of situations too much, but just, like, how tricky was the inner dialogue when you were playing, thinking about, like, I want to try to stick this out versus I don't want to risk anything?

BEN SHELTON: Yeah, usually I'll play through anything and just kind of find a way. And whether it's sickness or injury, like, if I can stay out there, I can stay out there. I never felt anything like this before.

So, yeah, that was kind of tough, I guess the uncertainty. But yeah, I guess I don't have anything else to say.

Q. Sorry about all this. Looked like it was sort of a sudden thing at the beginning of the first set, and can you say, like, what your conversations were like with the trainer, did they give you any --

BEN SHELTON: You said at the beginning of the first set?

Q. Fourth set, I mean. I'm sorry about that. Like, the conversations you had with the trainer there about what they're saying about you could play but potential for damaging it or anything like that?

BEN SHELTON: No, we didn't really talk about that at all. The shoulder is obviously complex. It's tough to know. Was basically just trying to alleviate pain and see if I could play, and that was the extent of it.

Q. Was it sort of that sudden thing in the first game of the fourth set, nothing before that?

BEN SHELTON: Can't really pinpoint it. You know, beginning of the fourth is when the pain started, but honestly I have no clue what it's from.