Ben Shelton walked out of Turin on Friday with three losses, no wins, and yet… not a hint of defeat in his eyes. The scoreline may have looked unforgiving, but the experience? That was priceless. For a 23-year-old still carving his place among tennis’ elite, the Nitto ATP Finals turned into something far more important than a breakthrough run. It became a mirror, reflecting both how far he has come and how far he still needs to go.

But each match, each set, and each pressure point told him a different story. Against seasoned opponents – players who have built their craft season after season, Shelton found himself not just battling them but battling their consistency, resilience, and discipline. His 0-3 record was harsh on paper, but the lesson hidden inside those numbers was exactly what he came for. After ending his ATP Finals campaign with a 3-6,6(3)-7 defeat to Jannik Sinner, the American said, “Certainly eye-opening being able to play against some of the best players in the world, [realising] the things that I need to do better. I’m not the player that I want to be yet. Not close. There are so many things that I need to work on.”

Currently ranked fifth in the world, Ben Shelton has won just one title (Canadian Open) this season, but he has managed to finish the year with a 41-24 win-loss record. Overall, it was quite a decent performance from this youngster in 2025. His post-match confession was more of a reflection from a player who truly believes his ceiling can be much higher. He wasn’t just evaluating his losses; he was dissecting them. This result surely “stings” Shelton, but he knows that tennis is full of highs and lows. So, all he will now look up to bounce back stronger in 2026.

But what, according to him, was the main reason behind his poor performance at the 2025 ATP Finals? Replying to a similar question in his post-match press conference, he added, “It’s just tennis. Everybody is wired differently. Coming back from being out for a while, it takes me a little bit to find my rhythm. Trying to do that at the end of the year when guys are really, really in good form is difficult.” He even had a bit of injury concern ahead of his match against Sinner. So, things have been quite tricky for the American in Turin this year.

However, he now leaves Turin not with frustration, but with a refined blueprint. A roadmap to the next version of himself. As he shifts his focus to the new season, the message is clear: Shelton is not discouraged. He is energized. He knows that raw talent brought him this far, but sharpening the edges of his game – shot selection, defense, point construction, patience…will carry him further. 

What did the tennis experts say about Ben Shelton’s performance, and how optimistic is he about starting the next season on a positive note? Let’s check out.

Tennis bigwigs analyze Ben Shelton’s performance at the ATP Finals

Ben Shelton’s first appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals was supposed to be his grand entry into the sport’s most exclusive arena. Instead, it became a harsh but necessary reminder of the mountain he must still climb. Finishing with a 0-3 record, the 23-year-old’s debut was undeniably disappointing, and tennis experts wasted no time dissecting the flaws that held him back.

After seeing his performance in the initial phase of the ATP Finals, tennis legend Tim Henman suggested he mix things up a bit. Then later on, we saw another former tennis player, Julien Varlet, criticizing Shelton for not playing left-handers’ game more often and advising him to study Rafael Nadal and learn the Spaniard’s playing style. 

“At this level, I don’t understand the tactical weakness of Ben Shelton, the world number 5. He doesn’t play the left-hander’s game. He plays with too much tension on his opponent’s forehand. I don’t get it. He doesn’t use the left-handed slice to force his opponent out of bounds often enough… I don’t understand how a world number five can be so tactically weak.” Varlet said this while speaking on the Sans Filet podcast.

Recently, after seeing his defeat to Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, offered his assessment of Ben Shelton’s performance and identified the core issues that are hindering his chances against top opponents. Gilbert tweeted, “Tough matchup for Gimme Shelton vs Sin City 🌆 that’s 18 sets on a trot he’s lost in this matchup, like to see him bring the gas ⛽️ all the time on serv 1st and 2nd, once the rally gets neutral big problems.” According to him, Shelton must maintain full effort and aggression on both first and second serve on every single point.

So, looking at all these comments, one thing is for sure… Ben Shelton needs to work on a lot of things during the off-season. Speaking about improving his game ahead of the 2026 season, Shelton said, “I think tennis is a sport where you don’t get instant gratification. I could be working on things now this week, or have worked on things for the past three months, past two months, past month, when I’ve been trying to come back. I may not see it on the court yet. But maybe in Australia, Paris, at some point next year, I start to see those things come along. It’s always been like that in my career.”

He spoke about how, despite his constant hard work, results often come in with much delay. So, perhaps patience could be the real key for him at the moment. Do you think he can have a better season next year, though?