Ben Shelton has become a Masters 1000 champion for the first time in his career.
The American has levelled up his game in 2025, where he has reached his first Grand Slam final and entered the top 10 for the first time.
The 22-year-old is hungry for success and he arrived in Toronto seeking more championship silverware.
He did just that as Shelton defeated Karen Khachanov in Toronto to become the Canadian Open champion.
Ben Shelton says he ‘respects’ his father Bryan Shelton and how he coaches him
Ben Shelton is one of the few players on the ATP Tour that is coached by a parent.
Bryan Shelton, a former player in his own right, has been his son’s coach even before he became a professional tennis player.
Three years into the world number six’s career, he continues to excel under his father’s tutelage. After winning the Canadian Open, Shelton opened up on his coaching relationship with his father and what Bryan respects about his game the most.
“He doesn’t sugarcoat things, he’s honest. I think I take things well from him because I respect the career he had as a player, I respect him as a coach and I respect him as my dad,” Shelton said.
“He respects me in the same way. I know that he has a great tennis mind, he respects my tennis mind and my independence, knowing that he can let me go in the big moments and just let me play my game.
“But he does a great job of injecting little bits and pieces throughout the match that help me. So I think the respect is one thing that helps a lot. Then it is just the kind of coaching, coach/player model that we have works really well.”
Ben Shelton says watching back more matches has helped him improve
Shelton has increased his level of play throughout the season, especially at the Grand Slams.
He reached the last four in Melbourne, as well as the last 16 at the French Open and a quarter-final showing at Wimbledon.
These are Shelton’s best showings at each of the Grand Slams mentioned, and he now has a Masters 1000 title to his name.
The American is hungry to keep improving his level, and watching back and studying his matches has been an integral part of that process.
“I think that watching films [has been] a huge piece for me and something that I didn’t do as much in the past. As of late, it’s been an every-match thing for me, at least watching one match or one set start to finish on the guy I’m playing,” Shelton said.
“I think it’s an important piece of the game that maybe I overlooked a little bit in the past, or didn’t think was as important, because I was like, I’m going to impose my game on whoever I was playing. But it’s a really important part of the game.
“I think that my tennis IQ and my tennis mind is something that is getting better and something that needs to continue to get better.”
