Earlier this year, in a conversation on the ‘Advantage Connors’ podcast, Jannik Sinner’s coach, Darren Cahill, shared a very interesting observation on American star Ben Shelton. He claimed, “I think eventually he’s a definite top ten player.” According to this renowned coach, Shelton brings something different to the court, and this is what always pulls a massive crowd in his matches. “Ben brings a real joy in what he’s doing on the court; he’s not scared, he doesn’t care who he is playing,” he added. Speaking about the 22-year-old American during a discussion on TNT, even John McEnroe stated that he thinks Shelton will be in the top ten very soon.

Guess what? That time has finally come. Ben Shelton has not only broken into the Top 10, but he’s currently ranked sixth in the world! He recently clinched the title at the Canadian Open, and then it was followed by a strong run in Cincinnati as well. These two performances will surely boost his confidence ahead of the US Open. But can he beat the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and bring home a major title? Well, ‘Sincaraz’ has dominated most of the Slams in recent times. This year, Sinner has already won two (AO, Wimbledon), while Alcaraz has just one (French Open). So, the 2022 champion will be keen to put things on level terms with his fierce rivals in the Slams tally.

But talking about competing against these two in bigger stages, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, shared a very interesting thought on Ben Shelton. Previously, the American’s best record at the US Open came in 2023 when he reached the semifinal. However, talking about his current form and how it gives him an edge in the major tournament this time, Mouratoglou said, “For Ben Shelton, winning a Masters 1000 is huge. This is the last stage before winning a Grand Slam, so it’s big. Can he challenge [Carlos] Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner? Yes and no.  Today it’s difficult to imagine, those guys are really playing incredible tennis.“

If we take a look at the stats, Ben Shelton has a 1-6 record against Jannik Sinner, while it’s 0-3 against Carlos Alcaraz. Although his numbers aren’t up to scratch against these two, Mouratoglou thinks, “Ben [Shelton] has things that the others don’t. He has this incredible serve, second of all, he’s a lefty, which is a big advantage too. I would say, third, he’s really unpredictable, and he has the belief. This reminds me of Novak [Djokovic], when Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer] were winning everything, young Novak said, ‘I’m going to beat those guys’. Ben thinks the same.“

Making his main draw debut at the Grand Slams at the 2022 US Open, it didn’t take long for Ben Shelton to make people understand that he belongs at this level. At just his second Grand Slam tournament, he made it through to the quarterfinals (AO). Since then, he has reached two semifinals (the 2023 US Open and the 2025 AO). In this season, Ben Shelton has won a total of eleven matches at the major tournaments. But his journey at these Grand Slam events in the 2025 season came to an end at the hands of either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.

So, in order to win a major title, Ben Shelton needs to overcome these two hurdles. Other than Mouratoglou, recently former pro Steve Johnson also spoke about what makes Shelton different from others. During one of the recent episodes of the Nothing Major Show, he claimed Ben Shelton’s physicality is literally “unmatched” on Tour. Although he mentioned Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic for their incredible ability to stay in shape all the time, Johnson believes ‘Big Ben’ is something else. “He is built like a truck!” What do Alcaraz and Sinner have to say about the American, though?

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner join hands to heap praise on Ben Shelton

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have won eight of the last nine major tournaments. In Cincinnati, while talking about their incredible dominance and figuring out his chances to reduce the gap with these two, Ben Shelton said, “All I can focus on is trying to close it, doing what I can every day to become the best version of myself, the best player that I can become, and not as much worrying about what other guys are doing.” He also added, “It’s just an evolving sport with a lot of different types of players, but also a lot of different types of conditions. I have to be able to move from one week to the next, turn the page, and not complain. To focus on what it’s going to take to win in those conditions is really important.” 

According to Shelton, both Alcaraz and Sinner have managed to do these (winning in different conditions) well enough (just like the ‘Big 3’), and perhaps that’s the secret to their recent success. If we take a look at their most recent contests, Ben Shelton forced the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, to go to four sets in their R16 clash at the 2025 French Open. The Spaniard won the first two sets in that match, but Shelton made a strong comeback in the third. However, eventually his enormous grit was defeated by Alcaraz’s majestic tennis on clay as the world number 2 defeated him by 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Talking about Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz recently recalled memories of his first faceoff with the American. “I never played against someone that hit the ball as hard as he hit. It’s something crazy. You know, some serve at 235. Honestly, I almost broke my string,” said the Spaniard. According to him, Shelton is going there in the mix of a real challenger for a long time, and he’s keen to play more matches against him.

While Jannik Sinner‘s last meeting with Shelton came in the quarterfinal of Wimbledon, where he defeated him by 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4. During Wimbledon, even Sinner praised Shelton for his huge serves. He admitted that it’s not easy to play against someone who serves close to 140 mph with such consistency. 

Ben Shelton recently faced a straight-sets defeat at the hands of Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open. Do you think he can come back strong at the US Open and put up a strong performance against the Top 3?