“Not the player I want to be yet”: Ben Shelton reacts to ranking drop after 0–3 Turin run

Ben Shelton closed out his first ATP Finals campaign without a victory, leaving Turin with three consecutive round-robin defeats, the last one against Jannik Sinner. The American departed with mixed emotions: disappointment from the results but also optimism after a breakthrough season that had taken him into the world’s top five just a week earlier. Reflecting on the overall experience, he admitted during press conference: “Yeah, you know, tough to finish out the season like this, going 0–3 at the Finals.”

The American acknowledged that the final weeks of the season were complicated by the lingering effects of the injury he suffered during the autumn swing. He explained how difficult it was to rediscover his timing against opponents who were peaking at the end of the year, saying: “It takes me a little bit to find my rhythm, and trying to do that at the end of the year when guys are in really, really good form is difficult.”

Match by match, Shelton saw small improvements but not enough to turn scorelines his way. Against Zverev he struggled to find openings in tight service games, and his loss to Auger-Aliassime became a turning point—one where he felt he played well enough to win but couldn’t close key points. Even in his best stretches, he admitted consistency was missing, summarizing the final performance simply: “Today I played a good match from the baseline and from the net. I just honestly got out-served. That was kind of the theme. All three matches I played here, the guys served better than me. So that’s not the biggest concern, I know I have a great serve.”

His defeat to Sinner sealed his 0–3 record and sent him tumbling from world No. 5 to No. 9, a drop with real implications for 2026. Falling outside the top eight removes the protection of avoiding names like Sinner, Alcaraz or Djokovic before the quarterfinals, adding another layer to his frustration. Still, he tried to maintain perspective, saying of the group’s difficulty: “You’ve got to give a lot of credit at the end of this year. The way that these guys played, there was no easy matches in my group.”

Beyond the results, Shelton understood that the season’s ending exposed clear areas for growth. He spoke openly about his development curve, noting the importance of maintaining ambition while accepting he is still far from his ceiling. His self-assessment was candid and direct: “I’m not the player that I want to be yet, not close. And there’s so many things that I need to work on.”

Ranking shifts aside, Shelton emphasized that improvement is often invisible before it becomes impactful. The new world No. 9 described that slow burn with a calm long-term view: “I could be working on things now or have worked on things for the past two or three months, and I may not see it on the court yet — but maybe in Australia or Paris.”

Shelton said he remains motivated by the gap separating him from the elite players he faced this week. That pursuit keeps him grounded in the process rather than discouraged by setbacks. He explained how he balances ambition with identity, remarking: “I’m always trying to chase the people in front of me, how I can get better and how I can be more effective, without losing sight of what makes me great.”

The American also reaffirmed that one of his biggest challenges—and opportunities—is adaptability. Facing the world’s best indoors highlighted how quickly top players adjust their patterns, especially in tight matches decided by serve and first-strike aggression.

He underlined that as a priority going forward, saying: “The best players adapt. The best players are great at changing little things in their game to be effective on every surface. To be winning Slams on multiple surfaces, winning a bunch of titles throughout the year on different surfaces, you’ve got to be able to adapt—and that’s one of my biggest focuses going into 2026.”

Shelton closes his season with a total of 40 wins and 24 losses, in addition to a title won at the Canadian Open—his first Masters 1000 title. The American also had appearances reaching the final of the Munich Open and the semi-finals of the Australian Open.