Ben Shelton has arrived at the ATP Finals in Turin for the year-end tournament, joined by his newly appointed coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. The American star is the third seed and will face Arthur Fils on the opening day of competition.
Training in Turin
Shelton and Ferrero have wasted no time in training hard on the practice courts to prepare for a strong start. Speaking on The Big T Podcast, as reported by sports.yahoo.com, coach Brad Gilbert shared observations from the practice sessions.
Gilbert noted that the pair were already focusing on technical adjustments during practice. According to sports.yahoo.com, Gilbert said on the podcast that he observed them working on taking more time with the forehand swing and establishing a strong presence on the court.
Gilbert expressed approval of Ferrero joining Shelton in Turin, noting that Shelton struggled last year by losing all three of his round-robin matches. During practice, Ferrero also shared warm embraces with the coaching team of his former player, Carlos Alcaraz, despite the two Spaniards now finding themselves in rival camps.
Surprise Partnership and Expectations
The new coaching alliance caught many observers off guard, including Gilbert, who previously coached Coco Gauff. Gilbert admitted to sports.yahoo.com that nobody anticipated the pairing, given expectations that Ferrero might mentor a younger player such as Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, or Rafael Jodar, and considering Shelton’s close coaching bond with his father.
Gilbert pointed out to sports.yahoo.com that starting their partnership at the tournament will help them understand each other better ahead of the off-season, which remains vital for implementing game changes. He also expressed optimism that Shelton can improve upon his winless 0-3 debut from the previous year, where he fell to Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Jannik Sinner.
Highlighting the importance of competing hard in every match, Gilbert referenced Marta Kostyuk’s winless run at the WTA Finals to emphasize how difficult losses at the end of the year can negatively impact an athlete’s off-season mindset.
