While Ben Shelton was in full flow in his semifinal match against Learner Tien at the Canadian Open semi-final, the defending champion almost injured himself! Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, commented on the incident.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Why???? Why is there a mat on the back of the court???????? Please, dear God, remove it!” wrote Stubbs on X.
While returning the shot during a rally, Shelton almost went back to the wall of the court, but his feet came into contact with a green mat that was kept at the back of the court. The American was not injured, but the incident could have been more serious, as it could have led to a nasty fall.
It was a sentiment which was also echoed by the on-court commentators, who claimed Shelton was lucky not to injure his ankle.
Players have been injuring themselves while tripping over objects at the back of the court recently. At the French Open, Alexander Blockx tripped over the rain covers at the back of the practice court, which ruled the Belgian out for the event as he injured his ankle.
Zeynep Sonmez had to get stitches to recover from the injury she sustained after tripping over the advertisement boards kept at the back of the court during her doubles match in May.
With players positioned well behind the baseline, organizers have to adjust the minimum area between the end of the court and the wall. Shelton, however, was not bothered by the incident, as he won 6-2, 6-3 against Tien, booking his spot for the final against Brandon Nakashima.
Shelton has been in good form in Montreal this year, having beaten the likes of Jenson Brooksby, Zizou Bergs, Joao Fonseca, and Jakub Mensik before beating Tien.
The defending champion has not lost a set at the event, making it eleven consecutive wins at the Canadian Open. Should Shelton win, he will become the first since Rafael Nadal in 2018 and 2019 to successfully defend the title in Canada.
Shelton will go in as the favorite in his match against Nakashima, with a 32-11 win-loss record this season and titles on all three surfaces, including Dallas, Munich, and Stuttgart. However, what remains to be seen is whether Shelton can carry forward the momentum in Cincinnati, as the American hit a wall there last year, having won the title in Canada.
Winning at the Canadian Open will also give Shelton confidence heading into the US Open.