Ben Shelton admits it has been “sad for tennis” that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have missed so much of the year.

Prior to Alexander Zverev winning this year’s French Open, Alcaraz and Sinner had shared the previous nine Grand Slam titles since the start of 2024.

The duo has shown they are the dominant forces of this era, and when they are absent, they cast a long shadow on the sport.

Tennis fans, players, and pundits alike all bemoaned Alcaraz missing more than four months with a wrist injury, and many are eagerly awaiting Sinner’s return from a knee problem that has sidelined him since mid-July.

Alcaraz returned to action at this year’s US Open and played out an epic late-night five-setter against Shelton, which the American came out on top in.

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But with Sinner not set to return until the Six Kings Slam exhibition at the end of December, Shelton has reflected on their time away from the court.

The US Open finalist rejected the notion that their dominance has faded a tad, despite Zverev picking up two majors this year. He also felt both will be fit and raring to go at the 2027 Australian Open in January.

He told reporters on Monday, “I mean, they won two of the four slams this year. Sinner won five Masters 1000s. I don’t know that their dominance has faded.

“I think they’ll probably both be very happy or very healthy when it comes to the Australian Open next year. It’s been sad for tennis and the time that they haven’t been able to play this year.

“But you know, I wouldn’t go that far [that their dominance has faded]. I think there are a lot of young players who are competing more and more for bigger titles. But I think to say that they’re fading is unfair.”

Shelton was speaking ahead of his Basel Open opener against compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic on Tuesday, where the 24-year-old is the top seed.

While Alcaraz is playing in Vienna, Shelton could face off against Novak Djokovic at the Swiss Indoors, as he aims to win his fifth title of the year.

Shelton could lock horns again with Alcaraz, either at the Paris Masters or the ATP Finals in Turin, where both players have qualified.