“If you miss your chance, another isn’t going to come”: Shelton on the small window against Alcaraz
Beaten 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the Rolex Paris Masters final, Ben Shelton looked back on the break points he let slip, the first serves he wished he had placed better and the little details that once again separated him from Carlos Alcaraz. He leaves for Turin “super hungry”.
Ben Shelton, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Michael Baucher / PsNewz
Ben Shelton knows exactly where the Rolex Paris Masters final slipped away. Beaten 7-6 (5), 7-5 by Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, the American pointed to the chances he let slip, in a match where the window was always going to be small.
“I had love-40 and then 15-40 in the first set, and I would have liked to convert one of those chances and give myself an opportunity to serve out that first set,” Shelton said about five of his six break points. “Then, being up a break in the second set, the opportunities were there. But when you’re playing against the best in the world, and I have seen it many times, the window is small. If you miss your chance, it’s likely that another isn’t going to come.”
“It also speaks to his level, his ability to be clutch and defend his serve in difficult situations,” he added. “There are plenty of things to be frustrated about on a tennis court. Now, you kind of live with it and move on.”
Shelton: “I wasn’t accurate on my first serve”
Shelton served 12 aces to six, but won only 63 per cent of the points behind his first serve, against 71 per cent for Alcaraz. He knows why. “If I want to be picky about my game, there are a couple of small areas today where I wish I had been better. One of them was placement,” he said. “I wasn’t accurate on my first serve. With Carlos’s speed, you feel the pressure of losing the advantage that you have after your serve.”
“He moves so well, gets to the open court so well, anticipates well and has great passing shots,” he went on. “I like to try to finish the point within two shots behind my first serve, or at least end up at the net, and it can be difficult with how well he was hitting passing shots today, especially on his forehand. Against a player of his calibre, I have to be a lot more precise with my first serve to be effective.”
Like Alcaraz the day before, Shelton put it down to the little details. “I think Carlos said it correctly yesterday. It’s all about the little details,” he said. “That was the difference in our match at the US Open, and same here. Especially on a super-fast surface like this, the margins are going to be small. A lot of credit to him. It’s always a pleasure to be on court with him.”
“Same as rafa” approach
The American leaves Paris with his sixth final of the season, a week after a disappointing exit in Basel, and with plenty to build on. “I was happy with my level this week after some disappointment last week,” he said. “I don’t think that I’ve been perfect on this indoor surface or played my very best tennis yet in my career, but I feel more and more comfortable each year playing on it.”
He also explained why these conditions are still tricky for him. “I like to make the ball jump out of the zone, with kick serves, heavy forehands and changes of pace. On this surface, those serves don’t jump as high, so they’re not as effective,” he said. “As a lefty, same as Rafa, playing from the baseline is about hitting heavy balls to the other guy’s backhand. On a court this fast, it’s really difficult to do that. You have to adapt and play a slightly different game style, and that’s why I had success here.”
After the US Open final against Alexander Zverev and this final against Alcaraz, Shelton heads to the ATP Finals, where he will line up against the best players in the world. “That’s the position that I want to be in, and I think that’s how you continuously improve,” he said. “It’s tough not to get better when you’re on the court with these guys who push you and make you play at a higher level. I’m super hungry and excited going into Turin.”
