Patrick Mouratoglou gives his verdict on whether Ben Shelton can challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for Slams

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Ben Shelton is in the form of his life right now, as he continues to build confidence ahead of the US Open.

The American star picked up his first career Masters 1000 title last time out, when Shelton defeated Karen Khachanov in the Canadian Open final.

Making a swift return to action in Cincinnati, Shelton carried on where he left off, taking down Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Jiri Lehecka en route to the quarterfinals.

There, he will play Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the 2021 Cincinnati Open champion.

Regardless of how things go in Cincinnati, Shelton will head to New York with full confidence he can make a deep run at the US Open.

Commenting on Shelton’s Grand Slam chances, Naomi Osaka’s former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has suggested whether the 22-year-old can challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Patrick Mouratoglou thinks Ben Shelton believes he can beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Weighing in with his thoughts on Instagram, Mouratoglou reacted to Shelton’s win in Toronto and questioned what his next steps may be.

“For Ben Shelton, winning a Masters 1000 is huge. This is the last stage before winning a Grand Slam, so it’s big,” he said.

“Can he challenge [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner? Yes and no. “

The Frenchman outlined the arguments for and against Shelton winning a Grand Slam.

“Today it’s difficult to imagine, those guys are really playing incredible tennis,” said Mouratoglou.

“But Ben [Shelton] has things that the others don’t. He has this incredible serve, second of all, he’s a lefty, which is a big advantage too.

“I would say, third, he’s really unpredictable, and he has the belief. “

Shelton’s self-belief reminds Mouratoglou of one of the sport’s greatest-ever players.

“This reminds me of Novak [Djokovic], when Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer] were winning everything, young Novak said, ‘I’m going to beat those guys’,” he said.

“Ben thinks the same.”

During the early 2010s, Novak Djokovic inserted himself in the Grand Slam picture, which for several years had been dominated by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

If Shelton wants to win a Grand Slam, he will have to do the same, as the world number one and two, Sinner and Alcaraz, have ruled the major tournaments since the beginning of 2024.

It’s hard to imagine anyone putting a stop to Sinner and Alcaraz’s reign of terror, but Shelton may well be the best man for the job, considering he often produces his best tennis at the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Ben Shelton’s Grand Slam record

Making his main draw Grand Slam debut at the US Open in 2022, it didn’t take long for Shelton to announce himself on the sport’s grandest stage.

At just his second Grand Slam tournament, Shelton qualified for the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

Since then, Shelton has reached two major semifinals and another quarterfinal, as his Grand Slam record largely speaks for itself.

Shelton has been particularly impressive in 2025, winning 11 matches at major tournaments.

However, worryingly for Shelton, all three of his 2025 Grand Slam defeats have come against the world’s top two players.

• 2025 Australian Open SF – Ben Shelton lost to Jannik Sinner
• 2025 French Open 4R – Ben Shelton lost to Carlos Alcaraz
• 2025 Wimbledon QF – Ben Shelton lost to Jannik Sinner

Through his career to date, Shelton has a combined 1-9 losing head-to-head record against Sinner and Alcaraz, something he will need to change if he wants to start competing for Grand Slam titles.

He’ll have his next shot at major glory in New York later this month, an event at which he reached the semifinals back in 2023.

Looking to go all the way in 2025, Shelton will kick off his US Open campaign when the tournament begins on Sunday, August 24.