“One of the Best”: Jannik Sinner Heaps Praise on Rising American Star

Jannik Sinner is widely regarded as the future of tennis. Recently, the Italian has admitted that another young American is one of the best in the world. Sinner heaped praise on Ben Shelton, who is fresh from winning his first ever ATP title. Shelton won the Tokyo Open to claim his maiden ATP title. Sinner labelled Shelton as one of the NextGen stars, after his Tokyo Open win.

Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton could potentially face each other at Vienna. The duo have already faced each other once in Shanghai, where Shelton defeated Sinner. Both Sinner and Shelton have reached their highest career ranking recently, and enjoying a great season so far.

Jannik Sinner full of praise for Ben Shelton

Vienna Masters 500 is a prestigious tournament at the end of the tennis season. Previous winners in Vienna, Austria have included Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. The hard-court competition will be held in the Wiener Stadthalle. This years draw has some star studded names like defending champion Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev.

Jannik Sinner has the possibility of facing Sinner early on in the competition. However, the Italian would like to get a revenge on his defeat against the American at Shanghai. The 22 year-old said he was excited to play against the in-form Sinner in Vienna.

“In the first round of the ATP 500 in Vienna, will I face Ben Shelton, after elimination in Shanghai? He is one of the best Next Gen players and I’m happy to be able to play against him. I hope to improve against him.”

Ben Shelton has enjoyed his best couple of months of his career. The American made it to the semi-final of the US Open and now, has clinched his maiden ATP title in Tokyo. This recent run in form has propelled the 21 year old to the top 15 of world rankings, his highest position.

Sinner and Ben Shelton developing a rivalry

Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner are two of the most promising young talents in tennis right now. Although the America bloomed late on in the tennis circuit, he is right there with the top talents. Sinner has been touted as the next big player for last two seasons and now Shelton is joining in on that conversation.

Shelton and Sinner have faced each other only once, at Shanghai in 2023. The American defeated the Italian in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6. This was a big win for Shelton as he was the underdog going into the match. Now, as both young stars are set to face off again, Sinner will be hoping to get a revenge against Shelton.