Legendary tennis player John McEnroe’s brother, Patrick McEnroe, has picked Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and two more as his top four Wimbledon favorites who could snatch the trophy this year. However, in a move that has surprised many, McEnroe left out the recently crowned Roland Garros champion, Alexander Zverev, from his shortlist of true contenders.
The ESPN Press Room recently hosted a Wimbledon preview discussion with Mary Joe Fernandez and Patrick McEnroe, during which the pair were asked a series of questions about the upcoming Slam, along with who their top favorites are.
When McEnroe was asked to assess the contenders from the men’s draw, he listed Jannik Sinner as the top prospect to win the title and Novak Djokovic as the number two ultimate contender before rounding out his favorites with Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
“There’s no doubt who the favorite is, it’s Sinner. He’s the clear favorite. I would probably put Djokovic at the moment as the second favorite. I thought he played pretty well in Paris, even though he lost early.”
He then surprisingly left Zverev off his list of favorites, mentioning his recent loss to Taylor Fritz at the semifinals of the Halle Open, alongside putting Ben Shelton ahead of the German.
“Zverev I would not put as a favorite. I would put Fritz ahead of him. Fritz just beat him in a close match. I would probably put Shelton slightly ahead of him.”
McEnroe ultimately banked on Sinner as the number one player who could lift the trophy on the 12th of July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
Alexander Zverev had recently lost to Taylor Fritz at the Halle Open’s semifinal in a grueling three-set battle: 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–5, which Zverev later claimed happened due to excessive intake of insulin that made him physically unwell mid-match.
Ben Shelton’s Wimbledon Progression Throughout the Years
Ben Shelton has gone through his share of highs and lows at the English Grand Slam since making his Wimbledon debut in 2023. However, he has displayed reasonable growth over his three appearances. In his first SW19 appearance, Shelton overcame a grueling five-set opener against Taro Daniel before falling in the second round to Laslo Djere in four sets.
Next year, the American came back strong and battled through three consecutive five-set matches against Mattia Bellucci, Lloyd Harris, and Denis Shapovalov to reach the fourth round, where he fell to Jannik Sinner in three sets.
In 2025, Shelton raised the bar once again, and this time, the American reached his maiden SW19 quarterfinal after defeating Alex Bolt, Rinky Hijikata, Marton Fucsovics, and Lorenzo Sonego, but once again got dominated by Sinner at the quarterfinals, although this time in five sets.
With top analysts like Patrick McEnroe viewing the American as one of the top contenders alongside Sinner to win this year’s Wimbledon, it remains to be seen if Shelton’s Stuttgart win and his recent endeavor on the grass court have helped him gain the momentum needed to be at his very best at the upcoming Wimbledon.
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