Taylor Fritz shares what he was told about Ben Shelton in training ahead of USA’s Davis Cup tie with Australia
Taylor Fritz explained why Ben Shelton was chosen to play Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Davis Cup Finals.
The American team was defeated 2-1 by Australia in the quarter-finals of the prestigious team event in Malaga.
They began their Davis Cup finals tie with Kokkinakis taking on Ben Shelton in the opening singles match, who Australia did not expect to play.
They were ready for the challenge as the 28-year-old recorded a shock victory over the World number 21 to put his nation in the driving seat.
What did Taylor Fritz hear about Ben Shelton in training at the Davis Cup finals?
Team USA were stunned by Australia in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup.
It began with Thanasi Kokkinakis’ thrilling 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(14) victory over Shelton, which he described as the most ‘pumped up’ he has ever been.
However, he also admitted that he did not expect to play against Shelton and was preparing to play against Tommy Paul. It was after the contest was complete that Taylor Fritz revealed why the World number 21 was chosen to compete.
“Look, I see why they played Thanasi,” the US Open runner-up told reporters. “He had some big wins for them in the last stage. Maybe he felt like he was playing the best in practice.
“You know, I just got here (from the ATP Finals in Turin). Everyone else was here before me. But from what I heard, everyone felt like Ben was playing really great in practice, so that’s why we wanted to put Ben in.”
USA Davis Cup captain Bob Bryan responds to Davis Cup finals defeat
Bob Bryan, the captain of the US Davis Cup team, made two startling decisions against Australia.
The first was selecting Shelton over the higher-ranked Paul to play Kokkinakis, before opting for the doubles team of Paul and Shelton over the specialised pairing of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek for the deciding match.
He has received criticism for his decisions, but Bryan firmly stood by them and explained the reason behind his thinking. “The doubles, we have great options on this team. We have an experienced doubles team in Rajeev and Austin,” Bryan said post-match.
“And we’ve got a lot of firepower from the singles lineup. It was a matchup decision in this case, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
“We were hoping to catch the Aussies a little bit by surprise, but those guys rose to the occasion and served a high percentage, took care of their, you know, their shots and stepped up.
“You know, I’m proud of the way we competed. You know, we could have won it this year with this team. This team has the talent and the ability. It came within an inch of getting another chance in the semis.”
