It takes a lot of people behind the scenes to groom a champion, and Ben Shelton did not forget to thank his team after his loss at the US Open final. The American could not deliver on the hopes of a home crowd on Arthur Ashe, but that did not stop him from showing his appreciation for his four-man team in his coaching corner and his family in the stands.

“I want to thank my team, I’ve got the best support team in the business. You know to do with my family by my side. These four guys who dedicate their lives to my career, spending the time to travel the world with me,” Shelton said in his on-court speech. “It’s an unmatched level of commitment. I appreciate you guys to my squad over here in this corner. Every one of you guys is so special in your own way. You guys showed up to support me every day of my career. I appreciate you guys. Love you guys.”

Shelton has family within his coaching setup, as his father, Bryan Shelton, has been the Americans’ players’ coach since his Tour debut. Unlike some of the other problematic relationships the sport of tennis has seen involving coaching parents, the Sheltons are a close-knit unit, with Ben’s mother, Lisa, and sister, Emma, providing constant support to him during his stint in New York.

Not to mention, Shelton’s girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, who has been a constant presence in the stands whenever Shelton has played at Slams, including at New York this year. Unfortunately for Rodman, she had an NWSL game that day, featuring her team, the Washington Spirit. That did not stop her from coming to Arthur Ashe, as she was there during Shelton’s speech.

Shelton’s team also included the likes of Gabriel Echavarria and Dean Goldfine, who look after the Americans’ fitness and Tour strategy, respectively. Given how strong Shelton has looked in the longer matches, which was especially on show in his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz, and how the youngster has optimized his schedule this year, all of the hirings have clicked.

Shelton is not the only player with family in his coaching box; his opponent in the US Open final has a similar setup. Both Alexander Zverev’s father and his older brother, Mischa, are part of his coaching team, and the German acknowledged the family nature of tennis teams in his speech as well.

Coming to the match however, the difference in the experience showed as Zverev was playing in his sixth Major final, whereas Shelton was in his first.

Ben Shelton Came Up Short in Experience in the US Open Final Against Alexander Zverev

If there were any doubts about whether Shelton was feeling nervous in his maiden Major final, those questions were answered in the first game of the match, where the American got broken by making a double fault. Throughout the match, Zverev found the right moments to attack Shelton’s service games, converting four of six break points.

Shelton’s range of shots, especially his forehand, was missing in the match, which is usually the American’s strength. However, he could not make any headway into his opponent’s service games, breaking him only once to clinch the third set. Zverev had a clear strategy in mind, as he varied his serves and won free points on both his first and second serves.

Having played five Slam finals before, Zverev was able to make adjustments, as the German has often received criticism for playing too defensively. However, he showed he had learned from that experience, coming to the net 29 times and losing only four points on his approach shots. During the second-set tiebreak, the German went for winners instead of his usual grinding rallies, taking the initiative in the match.

The loss will be tough to digest for Shelton, but he did have a 0-5 head-to-head record against Zverev before the final, which showed the difficulty of the challenge. Despite the loss, the American’s run to the final, which included that epic win against Carlos Alcaraz, will hold him in good stead in future Grand Slam tournaments.