Ben Shelton left the Nitto ATP Finals without a win on Friday, but hardly empty-handed.
Even at 0-3 in his Turin debut, the 23-year-old leaves the year-end event with a better understanding of the gap he is trying to bridge. He now turns his attention to building the next layer of his game.
“It’s definitely an eye-opener to be able to play against some of the best players in the world. [realising] the things I need to do better,” Shelton said at his post-game press conference on Friday. “I’m not yet the player I want to be. Not close. There are so many things I need to work on.”
Shelton finishes the season with a record of 40-24, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. There were highlights along the way, including winning his biggest career title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada, his third tour-level trophy. Shelton also reached his second major semifinal at the Australian Open, shot a career-best fourth round at Roland Garros and entered this week at career No. 5.
The southpaw retired from the third round of the US Open with a shoulder injury and upon returning to competition in October, Shelton posted a 3–6 record for the remainder of the season. His week in Turin reminded us that progress is not always visible in the moment.
“I think tennis is a sport where you don’t get instant gratification,” Shelton said. “I could be working on things this week or I could have been working on things for the last three months, the last two months, the last month trying to come back. Maybe I don’t see it on the field yet. But maybe in Australia, Paris, sometime next year I’ll start to see those things come along.”
“It’s always been that way in my career. I set a goal and start working on it every day. It doesn’t sink in right away. It’s frustrating. And sure enough, as long as I keep putting in consistent work every day, which has never really been a problem for me, I see those things starting to work and come to life in my matches.”
After losing 6-3, 7-6(3) to defending champion Jannik Sinner on Friday, Shelton fell to 1-8 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Italian. The American’s only victory came in their first meeting in 2023 (Shanghai). Since then, Sinner has not loosened his grip, playing all 19 sets they have played.
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“Here, on inside courts, he hits the lines a lot on serves. Very accurate,” Shelton said of Sinner. “I think his serve is what really makes him difficult here. The ability to take time away and hit winners from different places, from the baseline, anywhere on the court, is obviously a big advantage.”
Shelton didn’t shy away from honestly assessing his usually lethal serve during the season finale.
“Honestly, I just got served too much. That was kind of the theme of all three games I played here, the guys served better than me,” Shelton said. “That’s not the biggest concern. I know I have a great serve. I have to give a lot of credit at the end of the year, the way the in-form guys played. Me, 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 the guys are in really good shape, is difficult.”
After starting the year ranked No. 21 in the world, Shelton will end the season ranked No. 9. If Shelton had won one match in Turin, he would have finished the season in the Top 5 and as the No. 1 ranked American. The former University of Florida standout, who won the 2022 NCAA singles title, plans to turn this week’s frustration into fuel and channel it directly into his preparation for next season.
“It definitely stings,” he said of his winless record in Turin. “Difficult to end the season this way, 0-3 in the final. Tennis is full of highs and lows. This will only make me work harder in the off-season, making me even more excited for the 2026 season.”
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