Coco Gauff’s Ex-Coach Stands Behind Ben Shelton as Andy Roddick Raises Alarms After US Open

The US Open rolls on, but some players face an unfortunate end to their run. Sixth seed Ben Shelton was forced to retire from his third-round clash with Adrian Mannarino after an injury. The withdrawal came out of nowhere. As Shelton prepared to serve in the third set, he cried out in pain and called for a medical timeout. Moments later, the American pulled out, handing the Frenchman a place in the fourth round. In light of such Grand Slam withdrawals, Brad Gilbert and Andy Roddick have weighed in.

During an episode of the Served podcast posted on September 3, Roddick sat down with Coco Gauff’s former coach and ex-ATP pro Brad Gilbert. A panel of tennis insiders joined them to tackle some tough questions. One stood out: “As a player and as a coach, what is the threshold for an injury before you pull the trick, pull the rip cord, call it withdrawal?”

So far we’ve seen players like British No.1 Jack Draper, Shelton, Sebastian Korda, Daniel Altmaier and more pull out either before or during matches. Reasons range from injury to illness. But Brad Gilbert made it clear he might not be the best to ask. After all, he played 820 ATP matches and never withdrew once. Still, he admitted things look very different from a coach’s chair. “I do get totally annoyed now about players pulling a rip cord in the middle of a match and then they play next week. It’s a really weird thing that a guy is pulling a rip cord in a third round, a fourth round, and then literally it wasn’t that bad that you could play next week, or you’re playing the doubles the next day,” he said on the podcast.

He added: “There should be a rule against that: if you pull out of a match, you can’t play next week. But when you like Ben Shelton, for him to do what he did, he knew it must have been bad. Maybe it is only going to be three weeks. It’s a strain. But if he tried to push through that for that one match, or maybe to do better…”

While Gilbert valued persistence, Roddick drew a line. He pointed out the difference between being hurt and being injured. He explained that if it’s a real injury, finishing a match doesn’t make sense. But if the pain is tolerable, then the player has to weigh whether it’s worth the risk of aggravating it. That was exactly the case for the 22-year-old American on Louis Armstrong Stadium on August 29.

Shelton was caught telling his box, “I did something to my shoulder. I don’t know what it is.” He fought on, grimacing through medical timeouts, but his body had given in. He still pushed to the fifth game after Mannarino took the fourth 6-4. At the changeover, the tears came. Shelton slumped courtside, resigned. That’s when his coach and father, Bryan, gave the signal to retire. As Gilbert later put it: “That’s making a wise decision. But I was that dummy that I would have still played through it.”

The American isn’t alone in facing such trials. Even Novak Djokovic pulled out of the semifinals at the 2025 Australian Open against Alexander Zverev after a hamstring injury from the previous round. It shows that players make tough calls for their season, not just one match. With a full calendar ahead, they choose survival over short-term glory. And as for Shelton, he has no regrets.

Ben Shelton opens up following match withdrawal

Last week, Shelton faced the press after his tough third-round exit. A reporter asked bluntly: “Obviously, the nature of sport is losses are tough, injuries are part of the sport. But given the form you came in with, is this the hardest one you’ve ever had to stomach?” But the American was honest about his thoughts.

He said, “I got a lot to be grateful for. Been pretty fortunate, my life. Blessings, talents, a lot of things God has given me. A small setback like this… Yeah, it hurts. Yeah. I was playing really well. I was in form, a lot of confidence, just so many things to be happy with the way I was playing, moving on the court, competing. But like I said, it’s been a great summer. A lot of things to be thankful for. And you won’t hear me over here pouting about how bad things are with the summer that I’ve had.”

Even so, Shelton admitted just how brutal it was. The pain, he said, was “very high.” And he reminded everyone: “I never retired before. I’m not a guy who would retire if I could continue… Usually, I’ll play through anything and just kind of find a way whether it’s sickness or injury. Like, if I can stay out there, I can stay out there. I never felt anything like this before. So yeah, that was that was kind of tough.”

That left shoulder has haunted him before. At the 2024 French Open, it flared up in the third round against Felix Auger-Aliassime. His serve slowed, he needed treatment, and he lost in straight sets — but he never quit.

Not to mention, this season proves just how far Shelton has come. A semifinal run at the Australian Open. The fourth round in Paris. A Wimbledon quarterfinal. Even if the US Open didn’t play out his way, his year screams progress. Perhaps he’ll come back stronger next year? Share your thoughts in the comments below and follow the US Open Live Blog for updates on the tournament!