Shelton, ecstatic: "It has been a perfect storm"

Thirsty for the big stars of the circuit, Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov offered the spectators a great final at ATP Toronto 2025. Both fought until the end for a title that meant a golden opportunity to show that not only Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz exist. In the case of the Russian, he returned to a Masters 1000 final after almost seven years of absence in an event of this caliber, and for the American, it was the perfect moment to assert himself on the circuit, the one eager to see him shine with his dynamic and charismatic playing style.

Ben Shelton is now one of the 10 Americans in history to be a Masters 1000 champion. With the title of ATP Toronto 2025, the Georgia native achieved the best title of his career by displaying his best tennis level throughout the week. Khachanov did not make it easy, but Shelton never wavered and showed the winning attitude he had lacked in the most crucial moments in recent years, along with his best tennis. He becomes world number 6 in the ATP rankings and has many chances to break into the top 5 on this tour. After the trophy ceremony, Shelton went to a press conference to talk about his victory.

- Explanation of the victory

"I am very happy about this victory and grateful for the opportunity. I feel like this week has been a perfect storm for me: many tight and long matches, and finishing playing so well makes me unable to be happier. I tried to move Karen a lot from side to side as the match progressed, and also hit the ball very hard, especially in my service games. I wanted to be aggressive with my footwork on returns, often find my drive and be able to attack quickly. In the final tiebreak, I tried to quickly tip the scales in my favor because I had already lost a tiebreak in the match, and he had played it much better than me."

- A before and an after

"You never know if this could mean a before and an after in my career; I think each player is different, and each one writes their story in their own way. I still have many references to look up to for the success they have in each tournament, and also tennis is a sport where you continually see young players' successes, which is impressive. I hope this week signifies the beginning to be very consistent in my game and show the type of style I want to play. I want it to be a foundation to know what I need to keep working on."

- His father as the main reference

"He knows me perfectly. He is always very honest with me, and I respect him a lot, both as a coach and a father, and I feel that he treats me the same way. He has a great tennis mentality and knows how to let me flow when my level is optimal, advises me very well, and helps me a lot. Today, I felt very resilient throughout the match because Karen was serving very well and putting a lot of pressure on the scoreboard. Saving that 0-40 at such an important moment was spectacular and gave me a lot of confidence."

- What now?

"I want to be as consistent as I have been this week. I will get better as I have more opportunities to face the best in the world. I want to be in the final stages of tournaments and each time see where my level is to know what to improve to always be better. I think it is very important to focus on the opponent's playing style, something I have understood now because until this moment, I used to prioritize my game above everything else, and I think you have to be more tactical, especially in critical moments. I didn't consider it important, but I notice that this way my on-court intelligence improves each time."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Shelton, pletórico: "Ha sido una tormenta perfecta"