Ben Shelton’s maiden appearance at the ATP Finals didn’t go to plan as he lost all three of his matches in Turin.
Shelton was beaten by Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alexander Zverev in the round robin phase.
The American qualified for the year-end tournament after a season which saw him win his first Masters title at the Canadian Open, but he was unable to get off the mark in Turin.
Tim Henman questioned Shelton’s serve against Sinner and now Jim Courier has criticised another of the American’s shots.
Jim Courier questions Ben Shelton’s backhand after Jannik Sinner loss
Courier analysed Shelton’s performance against Sinner and found issues with his backhand during the match.
Speaking on The Tennis Channel, the four-time Grand Slam champion said: “Ben’s backhand, watch where the racquet ends up. Elbow on the backside is kind of open.
“He doesn’t really get the racquet back far enough. He doesn’t use his right wrist like a forehand. Shelton’s swing is too short.”
Shelton lost the first set by a single break of serve, and took Sinner to a tie-break in the second, but he was beaten in straight sets.
The American won one set during the tournament, against Auger-Aliassime, who qualified for the semi-final.
As a result, the American will finish the season as the world number nine after arriving at the tournament inside the top five.
Rick Macci responds to Ben Shelton’s backhand woes
Legendary tennis coach Rick Macci has also chimed in on Shelton’s backhand difficulties during his match with Sinner in Turin.
Serena Williams’ former coach wrote on X: “Saw a side-by-side comparison of Sinner and Shelton backhand. Night and day. Two totally different strokes biomechanically.
“Sinner is to the outside and so his back is arm/elbow (left) is in a very different position than big Ben than his right arm/elbow.
“Sinner pulls with the front arm and this causes the flip. Ben manufactures his backhand. As a result the Sinners stroke is shorter and the shoulders run the show thru contact creating more easy explosive juice and consistent point of contact.”
Shelton has not beaten Sinner in their last 13 matches, dating back to the Cincinnati Open in 2023.
