Ben Shelton's injury woes continue as he withdraws from Japan Open

Ben Shelton continues to be plagued by physical issues, withdrawing from another tournament, this time at the start of the Asian swing. The world No. 6 suffered an injury that forced him to retire from his third-round match at the US Open against Adrian Mannarino. Since then, he has pulled out of three tournaments because he is not yet 100% recovered.

The American first announced that he would not be with Team USA for the Davis Cup, which was played last weekend and saw them fall to the Czech Republic, losing the opportunity to compete in the Davis Cup Finals in November.

Additionally, he was scheduled to play in the Laver Cup with Team World this week, but he ultimately had to withdraw (the same situation as Tommy Paul), with Alex Michelsen and Reilly Opelka stepping in as replacements.

While he pulled out of two tournaments that are not critical for his ranking points, this time he confirmed he will not be playing in a tournament where he has found great success. Shelton was set to start the Asian swing at the ATP 500 Japan Open (Tokyo Open) but had to withdraw. This is the tournament where Shelton won his first title in 2023 and reached the quarterfinals in 2024.

The American was forced to retire in the third round of the US Open, a tournament where he was the sixth seed and seemed like one of the favorites to challenge the recent dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. However, his journey ended in the Round of 32, where he faced a resilient Adrian Mannarino, who managed to force a fifth set.

With the score at 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 (with Mannarino having just won the fourth set), after three hours of play, Shelton decided to retire due to a discomfort he began to feel late in the fourth set. "Usually I'll play through anything and just find a way," said Shelton. "And whether it's sickness or injury, if I can stay out there, I can stay out there. I’ve never felt anything like this before, so that was kind of tough, I guess the uncertainty."

"I was just trying to adjust and figure out whatever I can to keep competing," Shelton said. "Even though I was in pain, I was just in that competitive mindset of trying to find a way and push through it, so it was not really a thought in my mind."

Shelton's next commitment is at the Shanghai Masters, where he will be the sixth seed and join all the top stars of the tour, such as Alcaraz, Sinner, and Novak Djokovic. The American is currently in a good position in the ATP Race, at No. 5, and everything seems to indicate he could qualify for the year-end ATP Finals for the first time in his career. However, he will need to return to the court soon to earn points, as several players are still fighting for a spot among the top eight who will meet in Turin in early November.