Ben Shelton shows true colours with Frances Tiafoe message after U.S. Open exit

Ben Shelton showed his class as he heaped praise on opponent Frances Tiafoe after his fellow American knocked him out of the U.S. Open.
The duo contested a mesmerizing five-set battle on Arthur Ashe, with Tiafoe coming from behind to win in five sets. It was the reverse of the result when the pair met in a memorable quarterfinal in last year’s tournament.
Shelton was understandably disappointed after seeing his Grand Slam dream come to an end for another year. 
But he also shared his genuine delight for Tiafoe, with whom he shares a close relationship in the locker room.
The pair shared an extended embrace at the net after the match, and Shelton said: “Obviously I thought he played lights-out today. 
“That was one of the things you’ve got to be happy for a guy and congratulate, especially a guy like him when he’s playing the way he’s playing. I think that it’s important to show it sometimes that, you know, you can be happy for a guy when they beat you. 
“Obviously there are some things I want to do better. I’m a competitor. I always want to win. But, you know, I’ve taken a few things from him in the past year, and I thought that he’s always handled it well. 
“You know, maybe not like a big embrace when we’re on the court. But soon or right after it’s like things are back to normal.
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“But one of those cool environments in matches to be a part of. It didn’t feel right to just go up with a negative look on my face, shake his hand and walk off the court, because he played some great ball today.
“I told him, you know, keep serving like that, keep returning like that, and see where this thing goes. Obviously he took me out here, so let’s see what he can do.” 
Asked to expand on what he meant by “a guy like that”, Shelton explained: “Just a guy like that, how good of a guy he is, always smiling, not really ever a negative look on his face. 
“One of those guys that’s fun to be around in the locker room. You know, he’s always cracking jokes. Even I beat him in the final of Houston, he’s giving me shots in his post-match speech, just like a good guy. I didn’t mean anything negative by it. Just a great guy, yeah.” 
Shelton and Tiafoe are both at the forefront of an exiting crop of young American stars. They are among five men ranked between 10 and 20 in the world entering the tournament, alongside Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda. 
Shelton said: “I think it’s really cool to see where American tennis is going. It’s not just me and Foe, you know, there’s four or five other guys in the mix.
“We all are going to have our moments to shine. There is peaks and valleys in this sport, for sure. I just gotta continue to improve.
“I know that this is, even though, you know, maybe I looked happy for him or excited for him after the match, it definitely lit a fire underneath me. I’m not someone who likes to lose; I hate losing.
“Yeah, I’m excited to see where American tennis goes, and I’m going to continue doing my part and go back to the drawing board, you know, look at those things that I did today that I wish I hadn’t done and try to get better.”