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Ben Shelton suffered another heartbreaking defeat after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Paris Masters.
Impressive Titles But Elite Struggles
Shelton is a seven-time ATP champion, with two of those titles having arrived at Masters 1000 level. He won the Canadian Open in 2025 and successfully defended that crown this season, taking his 2026 title tally to four. Only Jannik Sinner with six titles and Alcaraz with five have more trophies than the American this season.
However, while Shelton boasts a fantastic career at the age of 24, he has consistently failed to perform against the very top players, which is something he needs to rectify sooner rather than later. Very worryingly, after his loss to Alcaraz, he now holds a 1-19 win-loss record against top-three players. He lost in straight sets to the Spaniard at the Paris Masters, and suffered a four-set defeat to Alexander Zverev in the US Open final earlier this year.
Shelton has clearly made huge strides in recent times, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that he has a real weakness when playing against the best of the best. Right now, only Zverev, Sinner, and Alcaraz sit above him in the ATP rankings.
Opportunity at the ATP Finals
Fortunately, Shelton has an immediate chance to improve his worrying record given his impending appearance at the ATP Finals. Sinner has ended his season and therefore will not be involved in Turin, but both Zverev and Alcaraz will compete.
In another boost for the American, it seems that he is somewhat aware of what it actually takes to overcome the ATP leaders. Speaking to the media after losing to Alcaraz, Shelton was asked if there are lessons to be learned from matches against such rivals.
“Yeah, 100%,” he responded. “I think there’s so much to learn. When you get to play against the best consistently in big matches, playing for finals, I think that you learn so much, or I’ve learned so much, and it’s the position that I want to be in.”
“You know, playing in the US Open final against Zverev, playing the finals here against Carlos, now going to Turin and get to line up against the eight best players in the world, that’s the positions that I want to be in,” Shelton added.
“I think that’s how you continuously improve. I said on the court it’s tough to not get better when you’re on the court with these guys who push you and make you have to play at a higher level to compete. Obviously I’ll be looking at the little details to try to do things better next time, but overall, happy with the week and the run that I had here.”
Upcoming Schedule and Coaching Change
Taking place on indoor hard courts, the ATP Finals are scheduled for November 8-15. The Inalpi Arena in Turin is the host venue, with Shelton set to learn his group stage draw on November 12. The prize money for the undefeated champion has been set at $5,171,000, with $2,412,000 on the line for a final win.
Looking further ahead, the American is clearly very eager to address his shortcomings with his latest appointment. Starting in the 2027 season, Shelton has hired Juan Carlos Ferrero as his new coach. The Spaniard has a superb track record as a coach, having helped Alcaraz win six Grand Slam titles.
