Shelton disputes Paris Masters speed claims after Rinderknech comeback
Ben Shelton overcame a set deficit against Arthur Rinderknech to progress at the Paris Masters on Thursday afternoon.
Rinderknech appeared poised to engineer another upset at the Masters 1000 tournament before Shelton orchestrated a remarkable reversal.
With the contest level at 3-6, 6-4, 6-6, Shelton trailed 2-4 in the decisive tiebreak.
The American player ultimately summoned the strength to win, securing the victory 7-5.
After the third-round match at the Plenitude Arena, Shelton faced a pointed inquiry concerning the playing surface speeds at the Paris Masters.
Ben Shelton contests the characterization of the Paris Masters as hosting the quickest courts on the ATP Tour.
“Since they started measuring court speed on tour, this is the quickest court there’s been. How is that transferring to the game and to your game?” an ATP spokesperson asked Shelton during his on-court interview.
Shelton, who has recently appointed Juan Carlos Ferrero as his coach, promptly replied that he rejects the idea that Paris features the fastest courts on the circuit.
“I don’t agree. I think Basel last week was faster,” Shelton stated. “I think Cincinnati was also faster, but that’s just me.”
Data from Tennis Abstract indicates the 2025 Paris Masters exhibited a surface speed of 0.94, a figure ranking in the lower half of all ATP Tour court speed assessments.
Nevertheless, this assessment requires caution, as Tennis Abstract has not yet released their official court speed statistics for the 2026 Paris Masters.
“But yeah, it’s something to get used to,” Shelton continued. “I normally like a slower, high-bouncing, hard court. My game is also very effective on the surface if I can feel more and more comfortable, which I do each year, and just trying to get one per cent better each day.
An overview of Ben Shelton’s potential route to the Paris Masters championship.
- R1: BYE
- R2: defeated Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4
- R3: defeated Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6
- QF: Tommy Paul
- SF: Lorenzo Musetti
- F: Carlos Alcaraz
“I feel that my game has cleaned up so much that I’m able to extend points on the surface, handle pace a little bit better, return better, and I think that makes all the difference.”
Ben Shelton anticipates the upcoming clash against Tommy Paul.
Significant stakes exist for Tommy Paul at the Paris Masters.
Earlier this week, Paul held a narrow opportunity to reach the ATP Finals, sitting 12th in the standings.
Yet, after the premature departures of Novak Djokovic, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, and Rafael Jodar, Paul now possesses a viable path to qualify for the year-end finals for the first time in his professional career.
For Paul to realize this ambition, he must first overcome Ben Shelton.
| 6 | Arthur Fils | 3,625 | |||||||
| 7 | Frances Tiafoe | 3,390 | |||||||
| 8 | Rafael Jodar | 3,234 | |||||||
| 9 | Alex de Minaur | 3,170 | |||||||
| 10 | Taylor Fritz | 2,950 | |||||||
| 11 | Novak Djokovic | 2,940 | |||||||
| 12 | Tommy Paul | 2,925 | |||||||
Current ATP Finals rankings [as of November 5, 2026]
“It’s been a long time, honestly, since we’ve been on the court, but I’m looking forward to it,” Shelton said of his compatriot on Thursday.
“He’s in great form right now, great player, great friend. I’ve been rooting for him all year to make a push and make it to Turin. And I think it’ll be fireworks tomorrow.”
As Shelton noted, Paul has demonstrated strong recent form, besting Daniel Merida, Holger Rune, and Quentin Halys without losing a set.
Paul and Shelton hold a 2-2 head-to-head record on the ATP Tour. Paul claimed their most recent encounter at the 2024 Dallas Open, winning 6-2, 6-4 in the semi-finals.
