“I think it was important that I put the ball in there and not give him a free play,” Shelton said in his press conference. “Try to apply pressure. I think the game I probably break the most often is right after being broken. I recover well that way sometimes.”
“Obviously, it’s not easy. There’s nerves, there’s the crowd, there’s a lot of different factors, but I was able to really dig into that game, not make mistakes, get back into the court when I got my racquet on the ball and it paid off for me,” he added. “That game kind of fired me up.”
Shelton, a return specialist in his own right
It was Shelton’s second straight sets win this week after 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over Arthur Rinderknecht in the last 16. He prefers not to make it a habit.
“I’ve come back with a lot of wins,” he said. Winning the first set is something he would “like a lot better,” he admitted, “but sometimes it takes me a while to go and find my best level.” Today was a difficult day. He played well.
The fix was patience. “I was going too far on a lot of my shots, and when I got more patient and started to realize that I could win a lot of longer rallies if I didn’t hit my forehand so hard or try to hit winners from bad spots (…), I settled in,” Shelton said. “I started winning very long rallies. My confidence grew and I think that’s what got me through in the end.”
Van Assche 3-1 in the game
At the end of the draw, France’s Van Assche admitted that he let the break go too cheaply. “Obviously there are moments I could have done better,” he said in French. “I didn’t play a great game and I broke down, but things like that happen.”
Asked if fatigue played a role, he initially said no. “I made a few mistakes in that game, but I don’t regret it. I gave everything, I went for it, maybe I made a bad tactical choice,” he said. “Then maybe, yes, it’s also a little accumulation of tiredness from the week.”
“Even though I got broken, it was 3-2 for me in the third, so it wasn’t easy because with his serve, it took a lot of effort to break him,” Van Assche continued. “I was a little disappointed to lose that break so quickly, but I forced myself to keep that positive mindset.”
He refused to shorten the match by that one game. “Those are mistakes that ended up being very costly. But obviously that’s not what made me lose the match. The game was not decided by three or four points.”
Shelton is fresh off the season
On Thursday, Shelton said it was The first week after the US Open in which he felt ready to compete with all his might. He put it in his schedule.
“I made some decisions to miss some tournaments, stay at home a little longer and have time to train, have a training block,” he said. “I think at this point in the season it’s hard to still be 100 percent involved, and I think because I’m having fun here and enjoying myself, it makes things easier.”
Shelton faces either Alcaraz or Roode
Shelton will meet the second generation Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Rudd Sunday in the Rolex Paris Masters final. Their semi-final had just started when he arrived at his press conference.
“Obviously, it’s a really tough match anyway. Two guys who are playing really good tennis right now,” he said. “Kasper has played great so far this week. I don’t know that he’s dropped a set yet, so I think he’s playing great. Obviously, Carlos speaks for himself (…) He plays great indoor tennis and also makes tennis fun.”
“These are the positions I want to be in, playing against the best players in the world, and I’m glad I gave myself another chance to fight for the title.”