Ben Shelton: ‘I’m not the player I want to be now … don’t shut up’ | ATP Tour

Nitto atp finals

Shelton: ‘I’m not the player I want to be now … not close’

American shows ‘stabbing’ nitto atp finals debut and 2025 season

November 14, 2025

Ben Shelton bowed out of the Nitto ATP Finals on Friday without a win, but to no avail.

Even with 0-3 in his turin debut, this 23-year-old meeting leaves the end of the year event with a sharp understanding of the gap he is trying to write. He is now turning his attention to building the next layer of his game.

“It’s definitely eye-opening to be able to play against some of the best players in the world, [realising] “Things I need to do better,” Shelton said at the Post-Match Conference on Friday. I’m not 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, such as winning his major career title at the ATP Masters event in Canada, his third tour-level trophy. Sherton also reached his second final at the Australian open, made a career-best fourth at Roland Garros, and started this week at a career-high. 5.

A retired lefty from the US who opened the third round with a shoulder injury and returned to competition in October, Shelton posted a 3-6 record throughout the season. His week in Turin provided a reminder that progress is not always visible in the present.

“I think tennis is a sport where you don’t get instant gratification,” Shelton said. “I might be working on things now or I might have been working three months ago, two months ago, last month when I’m trying to come back.

“It has always been like that in my work. I set a goal, I started working on it every day. It worries me, as long as I see those things that never come to life and start to appear in my games.”

After falling to defending champion Jannik Soni 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Friday, Shelton dropped to 1-8 in his ATP tour head-to-head with the Italian. America’s Lone Win came to their first meeting in 2023 (Shanghai). Since then, the sinner has never loosened his grip, playing all 19 sets.

“Here, the indoor courts, you draw a lot of lines in the service. Point to the accuracy,” Shelton said indignantly. “I think his serve makes him really, really tough here. Obviously the ability to take time and hit winners in different areas, from the baseline, anywhere on the court.”

Shelton didn’t end up testing them for real with his deadly health check during the Finale.

“I just really loved it. That was the essence of every game I played here, the guys worked better than me,” Shelton said. “It’s not a big concern. I know I have a good service. I have to give a lot of credit at the end of the year, it takes a way to get that at the end of the year when the guys are really tough.”

As we have started the year in World No. 21, Shelton is set to end the season at 9. The University of Florida standout, who won the 2022 Singles title, aims to turn this week’s frustration into fuel and put it right back into her plans for next season.

“It’s amazing, definitely,” he said of his unblemished Turin record. “It’s hard to end a season like this, 0-3 in the finals. Tennis is full of highs and making me work hard in the offseason, makes me even more excited for the 2026 season.”