Ben Shelton gets brutally honest about the key issue that doomed his ATP Finals campaign as he reflects on the season’s end.NN
Ben Shelton’s season came to an end after losing his last group stage match at the ATP Finals against Jannik Sinner.
Shelton lost to Sinner in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6, with the Italian continuing his undefeated streak at the year-end tournament.
The American was handed three defeats in Turin, having fallen to each of his opponents in the Bjorn Borg group.
Against Alexander Zverev, he was taken out in straight sets, and although he took the opening set off Felix Auger-Aliassime, Shelton was unable to get over the line in the end.
Following his defeat to Sinner, Shelton reflected on his performance and admitted the same problem reared its head in each of his matches.
Ben Shelton assesses his performance at the ATP Finals
Shelton suffered a shoulder injury at the US Open, which kept him sidelined for the majority of the Asian swing.
Since returning to action, the US star has won just three matches in the four tournaments he has appeared at.
When asked how he has felt after his injury in his post-match press conference, Shelton responded: “Definitely not my best.
“I played one good match. Actually wouldn’t say that today was a bad match either. In my match against Rublev in Paris, I thought I played well.”
Shelton knocked out 12th seed Andrey Rublev in his second match at the Paris Masters before bowing out of the competition to Sinner.
“It’s just tennis,” continued Shelton. “Everybody is wired differently. Coming back from being out for a while, it takes me a little bit to find my rhythm. Trying to do that at the end of the year when guys are really, really in good form is difficult.
“For me, I’ll find it. I’ll find my movement, all the different shots around the court that I need. Today I played a good match from the baseline, from the net. I just honestly got out-served. That was kind of the theme in all three matches I played here: the guys served better than me.
“That’s not the biggest concern. I know I have a great serve. Got to give a lot of credit at the end of this year, the way that guys, in-form players, played. There are no easy matches in my group. Yeah, came up a little bit short.”
Ben Shelton talks about improving his game ahead of 2026
Discussing the improvements he needs to make in his game, Shelton said: “I think tennis is a sport where you don’t get instant gratification.
“I could be working on things now this week, or have worked on things for the past three months, past two months, past month, when I’ve been trying to come back. I may not see it on the court yet.
“But maybe in Australia, Paris, at some point next year, I start to see those things come along. It’s always been like that in my career.
“I set a goal, and start working on it every day. It doesn’t come to me right away. It’s frustrating. Sure enough, down the line, as long as I continue to put consistent work in every single day, which has never really been a problem for me, I see those things.”
Shelton has won one title in 2025, which he clinched at the Canadian Open, his first ATP Masters 1000 crown.
