AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2026, Melbourne, ATP GRAND SLAM

[britbox]

Press Conference:

Jannik Sinner W 6-3 6-4 6-4 v Ben Shelton, AO QF



Leo AI Transcript Summary

Match Performance​

• Very pleased with his straight-sets victory over Shelton
• Acknowledged it was a tough match, as their encounters always are
• Described Shelton as an "incredible player"

Upcoming Semi-Final vs. Djokovic​

• Will face Novak Djokovic next after Lorenzo Musetti retired injured
• Expects a "very tough match" given their familiarity with each other
• Expressed hope that Musetti's injury isn't too serious

Playing Conditions​

• Night sessions are different from day sessions due to temperature and ball behavior
• Noted it was breezy during his match, which affects play
• Schedule adjustments are necessary (sleeping and waking later for night matches)

Reflection on Djokovic Rivalry​

• Referenced their 2024 Australian Open semi-final as a career-changing moment
• Praised Djokovic as "the most professional athlete" in the locker room
• Called Djokovic an "inspiration" who still plays at a very high level
• Views playing against him as a learning opportunity

On Ben Shelton's Development​

• Has now won 22 consecutive sets against Shelton
• Noted Shelton is improving with better serving, backhand, and aggression
• Praised Shelton's work ethic and mentality changes
• Predicted Shelton will have a great season and become "more and more dangerous"

 

[britbox]

Shelton's Presser was quite good in outlining what he needs to do against the very top guys (i.e. Sinner and Alcaraz), yet I don't believe he really executed that in yesterday's match so much. Maybe he went into the match with that intention.

 

[britbox]

Rod Laver - what a man:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Shelton's Presser was quite good in outlining what he needs to do against the very top guys (i.e. Sinner and Alcaraz), yet I don't believe he really executed that in yesterday's match so much. Maybe he went into the match with that intention.

Much like what Alex de Minaur had to say in his match with Alacraz and he has said the same playing against Jannik,
You can be given a great plan what to do on court, though it is up to you to 'executive' which he could not do.

 

[Vince Evert]

Yes, it plays for me here, thanks!

Moxie, how are you, I must take some of it back. Obviously there's S. Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, Denis Shapovalov,
G. Mpetshi-Perricard, Chris Eubanks, Daneil Altmaier, are the ones i'm aware that are active , but nowhere near as outstanding weapon as Richard's or Stan's was, so in that respect, it's the end of an era.

 

[britbox]

Much like what Alex de Minaur had to say in his match with Alacraz and he has said the same playing against Jannik,
You can be given a great plan what to do on court, though it is up to you to 'executive' which he could not do.

I think it was Mike Tyson who said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

 

[Jelenafan]

But aren't these two separate things, and aren't they even mutually exclusive? One could argue that Musetti retired too soon, and also argue that the match was far from over, could they not? In the case of Dimitrov, no one argued he retired too soon, because the injury was clear for all to see. So the discussion/argument was over whether Dimitrov would have won the match, no matter what happened, or if it was too soon to be sure of that. That's a different argument, right?

Anyway, I haven't seen the 3rd set of that match, so can't judge how Musetti looked. But I wouldn't call it "hypocrisy" if someone argued that it was too soon to say that Dimitrov would have won that Wimbledon match, on the one hand, and argued that Musetti quit too soon, on the other. Now, if that same person said that Musetti would otherwise have won it, that would be hypocritical, if you ask me. Just my 2 cents. (Or 10 cents, as Iomaha says. I guess that's inflation!)

Its hypocrisy if you assume one player 2 sets up retired because of legit injury and another player retires 2 sets up was a quitter or retired too early.

WTF. It’s also beyond friggin insulting to Mussetti.

It’s seems defending the player who was “lucky” (ie Sinner) because Dimitrov was injured was because they wanted Sinner to win anyways. Wasn’t a slam deal in that case Dimitrov would win.

Disappointed because Novak advanced because Musetti retired results in vitrol towards Musetti. Who knows Djokovic could have comeback like so many times in the past.

BOTH hypocrisy and WTF.

Which is par for the course. No need for me to play a skipped record.

 

[Vince Evert]

If Ben had a game plan, it wasnt the right one, he wants to be a Showman on court, needs to play percentage tennis when it is needed

Yes, should have mix up his game by venturing forward more, in baseline rallies, because Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will always have that edge.

 

[don_fabio]

If Ben had a game plan, it wasnt the right one, he wants to be a Showman on court, needs to play percentage tennis when it is needed

I watched him do this once last year. Can't remember where, possibly RG. He took the pace off his first serve and went for hitting the spots and percentages. He also played with patience and was competitive in the 1st set. He should do it more often, but his BH is an obvious weakness. His attacking style is fun to watch, but it doesn't work against the best of them.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Rod Laver - what a man:

And also Maureen Connelly completing the Calendar Slam in that severe New York heatwave in 1953. Play would never happen in this type of heat today.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Morgan Riddle, Influencer and Taylor's Fritz girl friend earned more money than him during the AO.
Fritz was out in R16 made $300,000.
Morgan earned more than $330,000 through social media ads !

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Congratulations to Christian Harrison and Neil Skupsiki No 6 seeds who are the AO Doubles Champions defeating the Aussie wild cards Kubler/Polmans 76(4) 64
Ken Rosewall presented the winning trophies, to the winners and runners up.