‘Make it sting’ – Shelton embraces victory and defeat as he completes his best season yet – Tennis Now

Although Ben Shelton lost his first two matches at the ATP Finals in Turin, the American can still look back on the best season of his career when it all comes to an end later this week.

Shelton, who has finished in the top 10 and top five for the first time this year (the latter on Monday), also made his ATP Finals debut this week, becoming the youngest American since Andy Roddick in 2004.

Then there are the left. Shelton joins Rafael Nadal and Jack Draper as one of three men to break into the ATP top 5 since the turn of the decade, an impressive feat

There is still more upside for Shelton, who is only 23 years old, and is considered to still have untapped potential. As crazy as it sounds, Shelton is the 17th southpaw since 1973 to crack the top 5 in the ATP rankings. If you score at home, five of those 17 players – Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Thomas Muster, Marcelo Rios and Nadal – have moved up to No. 1.

Could Shelton be No. 6 one day?

For now, he is more interested in finishing his season with a win in Turin.

When asked to evaluate his season, Shelton seemed to hint at the untapped underlying narrative of his game without saying much.

“I guess if I were to rate it from 1 to 10, it would probably be an 8 out of 10, a 7 or an 8,” he said. “I’ve made huge strides and improvements compared to the year before.”

Shelton was bitterly disappointed when he bowed out of the third round of the US Open with a shoulder injury in his last major in 2025, admitting he has yet to truly find his groove since.

“I’m not happy with what I did after the U.S. Open,” he said. “But the rhythm I found in the first three quarters of the year was really good.”

Shelton improved over the summer of the season, winning his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto and reaching another important semifinal at the Australian Open.

“When I play a lot of games, I get into a really good rhythm,” he said. “I gained a lot of clarity this summer about how to play: shot tolerance, what shots to take at certain times. I have a good idea of ​​who I am on the court, how I’m going to win, my winning formula. I’m still finding that right now.”

Shelton reiterated that he hasn’t been giving it his all this month and expressed frustration with the state of his forehand after losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets on Wednesday.

“The last four games this year – Shanghai, Basel, Paris, [London] “It’s more difficult for me to try to find that ‘wow’ feeling because all the players I’ve played against are in good form, playing great tennis and competing well,” he said.

“For me this week, it was my forehand, which is usually a money-maker for me, a money-maker. The first ball after serve, things were a little off, which was disappointing.”

Shelton’s biggest question on paper is his performance against the top three. Monday’s loss to Alexander Zverev dropped his record against players in the ATP’s top three to 0-15. He’ll have a chance to record the biggest win of his career when he takes on Jannik Sinner in Friday’s final round-robin game.

No matter what happens, Shelton will continue to work hard to improve in every aspect while letting his losses motivate him.

“For me, no matter how it ends, it’s just a matter of getting back to work,” he said. “Be proud of the season I had and the things I accomplished. Let the things I couldn’t accomplish and the things I didn’t accomplish sting. Just motivation for next year.”