Shelton on shoulder recovery: 'I wouldn't show up unless I thought I was ready'

Ben Shelton

Shelton on shoulder recovery: 'I wouldn't show up unless I thought I was ready'

American will face Goffin or Muller in his opening match at ATP Masters 1000 event

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Ben Shelton is set to compete for the first time since he retired at the US Open due to a shoulder injury. By Sam Jacot

One month ago, Ben Shelton left the Arthur Ashe stadium with tears in his eyes and his towel over his head. The American was forced to retire from his third-round match against Adrian Mannarino at the US Open due to a left shoulder injury with the score level at two sets apiece.

Shelton, who described the pain as the ‘worst ever in his life’, returns to Tour at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. But how is the shoulder feeling four weeks on?

“It is getting there,” Shelton told ATP Media on Tuesday when discussing his shoulder injury. “As any injury, it takes time to recover. I wouldn’t show up to a tournament unless I thought I was ready and that is why I skipped a few, but I should be ready to go now.”

Shelton owns a 37-18 tour-level record in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and has produced some of his best tennis on hard courts. The 22-year-old won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title on the surface in Toronto and also reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open.

Shelton’s hard work has pushed him to sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with just six weeks to go until the Nitto ATP Finals commence. The lefty is on 3,710 points, 1,005 points ahead of 10th-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is the first player outside the Top 8 cut, with ninth-placed Jack Draper sidelined for the rest of the year due to injury.

“I am very excited,” Shelton said when referencing his position in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. “It is the first time I have put myself in a good position at this point in the year to make Turin. Hopefully I get a couple more good results and get over the line. I am happy with the way I have played this year and with what I have been able to do. I am not done, I have more things I want to accomplish this year and let’s see where we are in a month's time.”

Shelton, who is aiming to make his debut at the prestigious year-end event in Turin, will face David Goffin or Alexandre Muller in his opening match in Shanghai. The 22-year-old is a former quarter-finalist at the Masters 1000 event and this year is seeded sixth. As a reward for his Top 8 seeding, Shelton has his own individual locker room.

“You get the peace and quiet,” Shelton said. “I waste a lot of time speaking to different people in the locker room, so I guess it is a good thing for me to be able to focus and get in and out.”

Shelton is joined in Shanghai by World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, defending champion Jannik Sinner and four-time winner Novak Djokovic. The event runs from 1-12 October.

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