The United States will have two representatives at this year’s ATP Finals in Turin.
Last year’s finalist, Taylor Fritz, will be joined by debutant Ben Shelton, as the pair look to win America’s first title at the event since 1999.
However, their ATP Finals title chances took a hit before the tournament even began, having been given tricky draws.
Fritz will play Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Alex de Minaur in the Jimmy Connors Group, while Shelton takes on Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Lorenzo Musetti/Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Bjorn Borg Group.
Unfortunately for both players, their head-to-head records against their group rivals leave a lot to be desired…
Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton’s head-to-head record against their group stage opponents
Fritz doesn’t lead the head-to-head against any of his round robin opponents, and has struggled against one player in particular.
- Taylor Fritz (1-4) Carlos Alcaraz
- Taylor Fritz (0-11) Novak Djokovic
- Taylor Fritz (5-5) Alex de Minaur
- Taylor Fritz (6-20) Jimmy Connors Group
The 28-year-old is 6-20 against his group stage opponents, but will be most concerned about his record vs Djokovic.
Fritz has yet to beat the legendary Serb in 11 attempts on the ATP Tour.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 US Open – QF | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 |
| 2024 Shanghai – SF | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2024 Australian Open – QF | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 7-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2023 US Open – QF | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2023 Cincinnati Open – QF | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-0, 6-4 |
| 2022 ATP Finals – SF | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 7-6, 7-6 |
| 2021 Paris Masters – QF | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2021 Italian Open – 2R | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2021 Australian Open – 3R | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 |
| 2019 Madrid Open – 2R | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters – 3R | Novak Djokovic | Taylor Fritz | 6-3, 6-0 |
He did, however, beat Djokovic at the recent Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia, a result that could well give him some confidence heading to Turin.
Fritz’s fellow American, Shelton, hasn’t been given a kind draw either, having struggled against several of his group stage opponents since coming on tour.
- Ben Shelton (1-7) Jannik Sinner
- Ben Shelton (0-4) Alexander Zverev
- Ben Shelton (0-1) Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Ben Shelton (1-2) Lorenzo Musetti
- Ben Shelton (2-14) Bjorn Borg Group
Shelton has only won two career matches against members of the Bjorn Borg Group.
After winning his first meeting with world number one, Sinner, Shelton proceeded to lose seven in a row.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 Paris Masters – QF | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – QF | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton | 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2025 Australian Open -SF | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton | 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2024 Shanghai Masters – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2024 Wimbledon – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton | 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2024 Indian Wells – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton | 7-6, 6-1 |
| 2023 Vienna Open – 1R | Jannik Sinner | Ben Shelton | 7-6, 7-5 |
| 2023 Shanghai Masters – 4R | Ben Shelton | Jannik Sinner | 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 |
If Shelton wants to make his way through to the semifinals of the ATP Finals on debut, he’ll need to make significant improvements against all the players in his group.
Who was the last American to win the ATP Finals?
No American player has won the ATP Finals since Pete Sampras in 1999.
Entering the competition as the number-five seed, Sampras won two of his three group stage games to book his spot in the last four.
1999 ATP Finals ‘White Group’
| Rank | Name | Win-Loss | Sets (Win-Loss) | Games (Win-Loss) |
| 1 | Andre Agassi | 3-0 | 6-0 | 37-16 |
| 2 | Pete Sampras | 2-1 | 4-2 | 30-29 |
| 3 | Gustavo Kuerten | 1-2 | 2-4 | 26-28 |
| 4 | Nicolas Lapentti | 0-3 | 0-6 | 18-38 |
There, he met Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer, who finished top of the Red Group.
Winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, Sampras set up a final clash with Andre Agassi, the man who beat him in the group stage.
Getting revenge in style, Sampras defeated Agassi in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, to win his fifth and final ATP Finals title.
Only time will tell if Fritz or Shelton can follow in the footsteps of Sampras and win this year’s ATP Finals, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2025 ATP Finals are scheduled to begin on Sunday, November 9.
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