Ben Shelton was the runner-up to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the 2024 Swiss Indoors in Basel. But, the American had nothing but praise for his opponent. Shelton, who was the sixth seed in the tournament, showed tremendous sportsmanship. He gave a classy comment on Perricard’s post, “Too Good Big Homie,” Shelton wrote. It was a heartfelt shoutout to his opponent after the tough loss. Despite being on the losing end, Shelton showed respect.
Ben Shelton Almost Made History
Ben Shelton was the first American to reach the final in Basel since Andre Agassi in 1998, four years before he was even born. Agassi finished runner-up to Tim Henman that year. Shelton failed to become the first American to win the title in Basel since Pete Sampras in 1996.
Shelton played superb tennis throughout the tournament to reach the final. He began with a straight-set win against Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Next, he overcame the home hero and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. The young American reached the semifinal by beating the first seed Andrey Rublev in three entertaining sets. The 22-year-old Shelton sealed a spot in the third final of his career with a straight sets triumph against Arthur Fils.
Shelton Couldn’t Break Through Perricard’s Serving
While Ben Shelton fought hard during the final, he wasn’t a match for another young and talented Frenchman, Mpetshi Perricard. Ben Shelton couldn’t break through Perricard’s relentless serving. Shelton’s best moment came with a brilliant blocked forehand return against a 236 km/h serve. However, Ben Shelton was not bitter after the match. He warmly congratulated Mpetshi Perricard, calling him great for the sport, and joked that he almost killed himself trying to return his serve.
“First of all, obviously, I wanna congratulate Gio on a great week on a great match today. I almost killed myself trying to return your serve. So many other parts of your game have improved so much and you’re such a great young talent and so good for the sport,” Shelton said.
Mpetshi Perricard is one of the few players who is a better server than Shelton. He served up 22 aces against Shelton on his way to taking his first ATP 500 trophy. The 21-year-old Perricard started the year ranked 200. He won several challenger titles and his first ATP-level title in Lyon in May. He rose to a career-high ranking of No. 31 after his dramatic win against Ben Shelton.
Shelton Continues a Proud Tradition
Shelton was the ninth American to reach the final at the Swiss Indoors. Among those nine, only five have gone on to win the title, with Jim Courier securing it twice, in 1989 and 1995. This places Shelton in an elite group, though he narrowly missed adding his name to the list of champions. John McEnroe holds the record for the most Basel final appearances by an American – reaching three finals in 1978, 1990, and 1991. He won the tournament in 1990. Shelton’s final tournament of 2024 is the Paris Masters. If he defeats Corentin Moutet in the opening round, he will face Jannik Sinner in the second round.
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