Ben Shelton was born the sixth player in the 2000s to win an ATP Masters 1000 title when he triumphed on Thursday evening in the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto.
While comparisons with former Toronto champion Jannik Sinner were drawn, Shelton made it clear in his press conference after the game that he focused on hardening his own path and driving on consistency.
“I think everyone has a different path. The story of everyone is written differently. I did it a bit my way,” said Shelton. “There have been many boys to look up to, just because how young they were when they were broken and had so much success in major tournaments. Tennis seems to be a sport that always has young champions, which is not common or normal, it is ultra impressive.
“I hope that this week a kind of kick starts me and makes me more consistent with the type of tennis that I want to play day in day out. It will certainly push me to work harder. I feel that I now have a good grasp on the things that really work for me against boys who play some of the best tennis in the world, and the things I have to work.”
Masters 1000 champions born in 2000S
| Player | Number of Masters 1000 titles |
Carlos Alcaraz | 7 |
Jannik Sinner | 4 |
Ben Shelton | 1 |
Jack Draper | 1 |
Jakub fascinates | 1 |
Holger Rune | 1 |
Shelton fought along Karen Khahanov 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the final and became the youngest American who won a Masters 1000 title in more than two decades. His run to the trophy also included impressive victories against top 10 stars Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz. He is at a career-high no. 6 in the PIF ATP ranking and celebrated in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, which significantly stimulates his hope for the qualification for the Nitto ATP final.
A key figure in the rise of Shelton was his father, coach and former Pro Bryan Shelton. The Lefty mentions their relationship and the balance that they have affected between honesty and trust as crucial for his success.
“He is not a sugar jacket, he is honest. I think I take things from him well because I respect the career that he had as a player, I respect him as a coach and I respect him as my father,” Shelton said. “He respects me in the same way. I know he has a great tennis spirit, he respects my tennis spirit and my independence, knowing that he can let me go at the big moments and just let me play my game.
“But he does a great job in injecting small pieces and bits during the game that help me. So I think the respect is one thing that helps a lot. Then it’s just the kind of coaching, coach/player model that we really have good.”
The last man who stands?@Nbotoronto | #NBO25 pic.twitter.com/2kl4tyo1mc
– ATP Tour (@atptour) August 8, 2025
Shelton is 32-16 of the year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and has been in a red-hot form since the start of Wimbledon. The 22-year-old reached the neighborhoods in the Gras-Court Major, the semi-final in Washington and then lifted his third and largest trophy at tour level in Toronto.
A team that caused its recent improvement? A greater emphasis on scouting and strategy.
“I think watching movies [has been] A huge piece for me and something that I didn’t do much in the past. Recently it has been something for me, at least a match or one set start to end up in the man I play, “said Shelton.
“I think it is an important part of the game that I might have overlooked a bit in the past, or did not think I was so important, because I thought I was going to impose my game on the one I played. But it is a very important part of the game. I think my tennis IQ and my tennis spirit is something that is to get better.”
Shelton will then participate in the Cincinnati Open, where he will be confronted with Kei Nishikori or Camilo Ugo Carabelli this weekend.
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