Ben Shelton must fix a worrying trend in 2026 if he is going to challenge for Grand Slam titles

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Ben Shelton has enjoyed one of the best years of his young career.

However, he is far from the finished article despite winning his maiden Masters 1000 title and rising to a career-high ranking of fifth in the world.

The young American burst onto the scene with a thunderous left-handed serve and all the energy in the world.

Alas, the everyday rigours of the ATP Tour have already made their mark on the 23-year-old, and it really feels like he’s limped to the finish line after an injury-hit end to the year.

No wins in his debut at the ATP Finals is not uncommon, but it is indicative of a worrying trend that he must fix in 2026 if he is to challenge.

Ben Shelton must fix worrying trend after breakthrough 2025 season

After winning the Masters 1000 event in Canada, the next logical step for him is to challenge for Grand Slam titles.

And, as a two-time semi-finalist at different majors too, Ben Shelton already seems well on his way to achieving that feat.

However, there is a reason why he is yet to make a final, and that simply boils down to his inability to trouble the game’s very best players.

Naturally, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are near-unbeatable for everyone on tour, but Shelton has also struggled against the likes of Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper too.

If he is to actually shoot himself into contention for these elite honours, his inability to beat this calibre of player, particularly throughout 2025, will certainly hold him back.

Ben Shelton’s head-to-head records vs top players in 2025

When grouping together the top-three-ranked players in the world, Shelton finished 2025 without a single win against any of them.

He endured a bruising 0-4 record against Zverev and Sinner, whilst losing his only encounter with Alcaraz too.

Ironically, it was one of the Italian or the Spaniard who knocked him out of three of the four Grand Slams as well, with injury forcing his withdrawal at the US Open.

However, even extending that further, and players who are supposed to be at similar levels to him, like Draper, have got the better of him in 2025 as well.

Shelton will know that he needs to start turning these head-to-head records around, and that will surely come with experience. He is still so young and has so much time on his hands.

Seeking to help speed up his progress, Shelton was told exactly what he must change to start challenging the top players by one notable pundit just this week after his ATP Finals exit.