"Big chance to win this thing now and I think he's gonna do it": Ben Shelton will win US Open says John McEnroe
ATPSunday, 13 September 2026 at 14:29
Talk about pressure, as Ben Shelton has been backed to end a long wait for the US in regard to finding a new star who will win a major on the men's side, as Shelton faces Alexander Zverev with legendary star John McEnroe, the one who has predicted it.
Shelton will aim to become the first American male to win his home Grand Slam since Roddick's win back in 2003 if he beats Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final in New York; McEnroe remains convinced that he can get it done.
The pressure will be piled upon Shelton, especially given that the women's saw two Eastern European players and not Gauff or Pegula in the final, so it relies solely on the men's to provide that antidote, especially in lieu of no Alcaraz or Sinner either.
“Ben played the match of his life to beat Alcaraz,” said McEnroe.
“It was not the best thing for our game that the best match of the tournament was finishing at 3.30am. I spoke to Ben yesterday, and he didn’t get to bed until 7.30am, which is not great.
“But he showed what he was made of and what he can do. It’s a shame a lot of people didn’t see it at that time in the morning, but Ben has a big chance to win this thing now, and I think he’s going to do it.”
Ben Shelton backed to end long wait.
Why not before for America?
With sports such as American football and baseball, among others being more popular in the States than anywhere else, McEnroe moots that in reality the lack of accessability is the issue when it comes to the sport of tennis abroad.
Despite having hugely successful players like Serena Williams and even the likes of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Taylor Fritz, among others, now, many have had issues actually reaching the top, either due to lack of money or being able to break through.
“It feels to me that tennis is more accessible in other countries, especially Europe,” said McEnroe.
“In our country, to be blunt, the accessibility is a big issue. The best athletes play American football, basketball, and, in some cases, soccer. You have the affordability issues, and tennis is expensive.
“You see in the women’s game that there are more opportunities because of equal prize money, and the best athletes, like Serena Williams, end up playing tennis.
“I try to provide more opportunity for kids at my club and for kids that otherwise couldn’t afford it. There’s a great history in Europe.
“There’s a great history in America for tennis, but it is a long time since we had a men’s winner at the US Open.
Read also
“So it would be big if it happens this year. We also need to look at ways to get more kids playing tennis in America, and I do that at my club by trying to give kids a chance who might not ordinarily play the sport, but it’s not easy.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Sabalenka began showing signs of her game gradually 'changing' since last season. I predicted her fascination with posting endless Selfies, participating in commercial media distractions and constant Social Media nonsense could impact her in a negative way. Her off-court Life was sure to interfere with her performace level. Visions of Raducanu, Giorgi, Bouchard come to mind. The Final yesterday was a weird case of polar-opposites. Sabalenka and Rybakina could not be any more different in personalities! Saba often portrays a somewhat fake persona, including her Phony Screaming. Her usual habit of acting like the nice girl with a sense of humor is a misconception. People take her lack of intellect as "cute" and "funny". So anyway... yesterday viewers witnessed that Fake Scream be reduced to a whimper and sometimes no vocal gymnastics at all once she knew the jig was up. We all saw her look into the camera post-match and say "F... You". Also, pretty hard to not see Saba making untoward facial expressions, rolling her eyes, etc., behind Rybakina while on the podium. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, was her usual 'in-control' self as she spoke clearly and calmly, without making faces nor any ill-will toward anyone = 100% Class Act. Lena appeared more than aware of Saba's sour attitude and made a point of not looking in her direction most of the time. FWIW: I have never -- not ever -- heard Sabalenka make any sounds on practice courts. So it is indeed a nonsensical ruse as she thinks (incorrectly) it affects opponents. It does not. In fact, as was the case yesterday, I saw Lena occasionally take a side-eye glance at Saba on her way to the bench... as if to calculate her emotions. Saba is actually a very easy 'read'.
mandoist13-09-2026 - WTA really, really hates this sort of thing. They surely are satisfied to make believe no such thing happens (or happened).mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA and ATP cannot even make their dope testing equal and precise across the board. They sure as hell cannot escape a stituation they themselves made over the ridiculous "penalty" of omitting a player's country flag. Nothing regarding which flags to display (or not) should be a Thing. It proves nothing; solves nothing. If anything, all it did was cause stress, tension, and even outbursts between players in the WTA locker room. Let's not even start with the asinine practice of not shaking hands at the net with "the enemy". There seems to be a general lack of intelligence behind Pro Tennis administrations' Closed Doors. .mandoist13-09-2026
- Big Babe Tennis! Hoping for a good final.DaveyWavey12-09-2026
- Director needs to return to his old "job" at the Australia Open. He's clueless in NYC.mandoist12-09-2026
- You keep writing ridiculous crap... why are you even watching tennis?mandoist12-09-2026
- They probably have a very good reason for this. I do not get it. Annoying that it finishes so late
AceOfBase12-09-2026 - I hope he wins. Would be great to have a USA winner again with the men.AceOfBase12-09-2026
- I love WTA matches. Seek them out as much as possible on youtube and other platforms I already subscribe to. With that in mind, I do not wish to pay $$$ to a notoriously slippery subscription conglomerate sports broadcaster (like SkySports) just for the privilege to watch it and the tnt/eurosport/discovery subscription went from $$ to $$$+ annually in a blink of an eye. With ATP I have been begrudgingly paying xyz tennis only channel and try to catch up on slams elsewhere (pubs, youtube with USO later on games are just as enjoyable to watch and a smart move to upload on their official channel) but they don't cover WTA. I tried another Tennis dedicated channel that advertised originally as broadcasting where I live, but turned out, they took the money, but didn't cover the matches (only fluff/filler value documentaries). I don't understand why it is so hard to not lock the live matches to one broadcaster only refusing so many people who are happy to pay for the privilege just not through that one entry point. WTA is so exciting for the last few years and they really should capitalise on it as much as possible. And I know it is somewhat naive talking without knowing the inner works, but not being able to find any WTA other than youtube (and then only highlights mostly) is just so frustrating.JayJay11-09-2026
- Clearly not AI :-)AceOfBase11-09-2026
Loading