Ben Shelton has been an ever-present and consistently evolving force on the ATP Tour, but it really felt like this year he broke through.
After all, deep runs in Grand Slam tournaments are impressive, but what truly seems to kickstart careers is titles.
Ben Shelton won his biggest yet in Canada, adding a Masters 1000 to his repertoire and cementing his spot as a top-five contender.
Sadly, injury struck just after that event, curtailing what could have been a hugely promising US Open campaign. And, since returning to fitness, he has not quite felt the same.
Struggles at the ATP Finals have only exacerbated that issue, and perhaps played into the suggestion that he made a mistake by rushing back for this event.
Why Ben Shelton made a mistake by playing the ATP Finals
When he left the Arthur Ashe Stadium in tears back in August, it felt like Shelton’s season was over.
After all, just the major before we saw similar happen to Grigor Dimitrov, who made an appearance at just one event before the end of 2025 following his pectoral tear.
He took ample time off and has had a relaxed return to competitive tennis before heading back to the gym to strengthen his ailment.
Shelton, meanwhile, has seemingly sped back to action and is now suffering the consequences.
Twice already he has lost in this year’s ATP Finals, and with a match against Jannik Sinner next up, his chances of departing without a win are very high.
Perhaps it might have been worth considering prioritising the Australian Open instead of this end-of-year event against the world’s very best players, where the intensity and pressure are at their greatest.
Ben Shelton should have prioritised the Australian Open
Realistically, there was little chance Shelton would have won the ATP Finals this year.
After all, returning from injury so soon always made it unlikely that he would be fully fit, and that’s without taking into account that this was to be his debut at the prestigious competition.
Shelton rated his 2025 season out of ten after losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime earlier this week, but perhaps it was 2026 where his focus should have lain.
However, when it comes to Grand Slams, the American has proven himself capable of deep runs.
Had he just dipped into one or two events late in 2025, before withdrawing for the rest of the season, Shelton would have been able to work on his fitness and any technical concerns, and return to Melbourne fresher than his top-ranked peers.
It could have afforded him the crucial edge in the first Grand Slam of the year, especially at a tournament where he was a semi-finalist last year.
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