Former World No. 21 Steve Johnson believes Ben Shelton’s 2025 campaign belongs in the upper tier of the season’s standout performances. Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Johnson praised Shelton’s meteoric rise while pointing out the handful of puzzling losses that kept the year from being nearly flawless.
Ben Shelton’s Climb Through the Ranks After College Tennis
Shelton’s rapid climb has been building for several years. The 23-year-old left-hander has been on a steady upward climb since leaving college tennis behind. After winning the 2022 NCAA singles championship at the University of Florida, he jumped onto the pro tour the same year. He surged through Challenger events, won multiple titles, and earned a standout victory over former World No. 7 Casper Ruud at the Cincinnati Open.
By the end of 2022, he had broken into the ATP Top 100. His breakthrough came the following seasons: in 2023, he reached the semifinal of the US Open and captured his first ATP Tour title at the Japan Open, cracking the Top 20 soon after. In 2024, he added his first clay-court title at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships.
The 2025 season marked an actual turning point. Shelton opened the year with a stellar run at the Australian Open, where he reached the semifinals before bowing out to defending champion Jannik Sinner. In June, he made his long-anticipated debut in the ATP Top 10, propelled by consistent deep runs throughout the season, including at Munich.
His defining moment came in August at the Canadian Open, where he won his first ATP Masters 1000 title. That victory pushed his ranking to a career-high World No. 5 by November 10, 2025, and he ultimately finished the season inside the Top 10.
What Factors Led Steve Johnson to Rank Shelton’s 2025 Campaign So Highly?
Johnson took all of that into account when evaluating Shelton’s season, calling it one of the three best years among ATP players. He highlighted the numbers that defined Shelton’s leap, pointing out that the American finished 2024 at No. 21 despite still being relatively under the radar.
Johnson emphasized just how sharp the rise has been, noting that Shelton finished 2025 inside the Top 10 at World No. 9 after climbing as high as No. 5 in November. “Got a Masters 1000 title. That’s not easy to come by,” Johnson said on the podcast, underscoring how rare a milestone it is for players so early in their careers.
At the same time, he did not shy away from the handful of matchups that repeatedly tripped Shelton up. He pointed to four players in particular and described those results as the most confusing part of the year.
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Shelton went winless in two meetings with David Goffin, dropped two of three against Jakub Mensik, lost three of four to Jaume Munar, and went 0-3 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. “If you could just take away those losses, a phenomenal year,” Johnson said, adding that despite that odd pattern, “he’s continually rising in the rankings and he’s getting better.”
Along the way, Shelton notched his 100th career win, recorded key victories over multiple top-10 players, and built a season win-loss record hovering around 40-24.
