Ben Shelton’s season wrapped up following his group stage loss to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals.
Sinner came out on top in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6, keeping his perfect record intact and sending Shelton home winless from Turin.
The American dropped all three of his matches in the Bjorn Borg group, failing to pick up a single victory against any of his opponents.
He was beaten in straight sets by Alexander Zverev and, despite taking the first set off Felix Auger-Aliassime, couldn’t close out the match.
After losing to Sinner, Shelton spoke about how the same issues had cropped up in each of his matches.
Shelton points to consistent struggles across all matches
“I think it’s been fairly similar throughout my three matches this week. I’ve started slow,” Shelton said after facing Sinner.
“Today was a little bit different than other days because I thought Jannik was playing so well from early on that there wasn’t much I could do at that point.
Shelton also noted that many players have struggled against Sinner’s quality this year: “It’s tough to get used to. It’s different than most people we see on tour.”
Despite finishing strong with a title run at the Japan Open and a solid showing at the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals, he couldn’t carry that form into Turin.
Ben Shelton reflects on his ATP Finals showing
Shelton suffered a shoulder injury during the US Open, which kept him out of most of the Asian swing.
Since coming back, he’s managed just three wins across four tournaments. Speaking after his loss to Sinner, Shelton didn’t sugarcoat how he’s been feeling post-injury: “Definitely not my best.”
He added: “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 had beaten Andrey Rublev at the Paris Masters before falling to Sinner again in the next round.
Shelton went on to discuss what it takes for him to get back into form after time away and noted how difficult that can be against players in top shape late in the season.
“For me, I’ll find it. I’ll find my movement, all the different shots around the court that I need,” Shelton said. “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.”
Shelton wasn’t too worried about his own serve and gave credit to his opponents for their performances.
“That’s not the biggest concern. I know I have a great serve,” he added. “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 looks ahead to 2026 and where he can improve his game
Speaking about what areas of his game need work, 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 one title so far in 2025 – his first ATP Masters 1000 crown – which he won at the Canadian Open.
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