Alcaraz fears Shelton after Paris Masters victory
Carlos Alcaraz secured his revenge against Ben Shelton during the Paris Masters final.
Alcaraz had previously fallen to Shelton, who is set to be coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero in the coming year, at the US Open in September.
The Spaniard had not had the chance to avenge that defeat until the Paris Masters final, where Alcaraz defeated Shelton 7-6(5), 7-5 to claim the tournament title for the first time in his career.
Even though he has now beaten Shelton in four of their five encounters, Alcaraz admitted that he will now be ‘afraid’ of the American in future meetings.
Carlos Alcaraz ‘pretty sure’ Ben Shelton will ‘bounce back’ following his defeat at the Paris Masters.
In his post-match address after lifting the Paris Masters trophy, Alcaraz offered high praise for both Shelton and his coaching team. He then confidently predicted that Shelton would recover at the ATP Finals, noting that he will be ‘afraid’ of him.
“For me first of all I want to start with Ben,” began Alcaraz. “It was such a great week for you and your team. You are amazing. You are amazing on and off the court.
“Tennis wise and as a person. I really want to congratulate you not only for this week but for everything. You are always to everybody an example. After a defeat or not finding a great feeling you always bounce back even stronger.
“I am pretty sure next week in the Finals you are going to bounce back. I am going to be afraid a bit of you! It’s just congratulations to you for everything you have done and your team and family. Great people and professionals.”
Alcaraz also spoke live to Sky Sports regarding his latest title success, discussing the transition from winning the Vienna Open to the Paris Masters, with particular emphasis on the shift in court speed.
“For me it’s incredible. The week I have had was incredible,” added Alcaraz. “I am really proud of the week I have had and the level I have played for the whole week.
“I did not have enough time to prepare myself the best I could, coming from Vienna. It was really slow compared to this. I had one practice before the first match, I tried to accept I would not play my best the first round.
“But after that I was trying to get used to speed of the court and the conditions here. I am really happy that mentally I made a step forward. I stayed strong, I accepted the conditions and situations and from there I tried to be better.
“I would say I improved and I felt better after every match. I would say playing such great tennis against Ben in the final, who is really tough to play against, it means a lot to get my first title in Paris.”
What is Carlos Alcaraz’s current standing in history following his Paris Masters triumph?
Alcaraz has now secured the Paris Masters title for the first time in his career, marking his ninth overall ATP 1000 tournament victory.
This victory places Alcaraz ahead of Thomas Muster, who accumulated eight Masters 1000 titles during his career, and leaves him just one short of his chief rival Jannik Sinner. He remains some distance behind Novak Djokovic at the summit of the rankings, who boasts an astonishing 40 Masters 1000 titles to his name.
Although he is still some way off catching Djokovic in terms of the total number of Masters 1000 titles, he is closing in on joining the Serbian and Sinner as the two players to have won every event at this calibre. Alcaraz has now won seven of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments, with only the Canadian Open and the Shanghai Masters missing from his resume.
| ATP players with the most Masters 1000 titles | Titles won |
| Novak Djokovic | 40 |
| Rafael Nadal | 36 |
| Roger Federer | 28 |
| Andre Agassi | 17 |
| Andy Murray | 14 |
| Pete Sampras | 11 |
| Jannik Sinner | 10 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 9 |
Alcaraz will now focus on the final two tournaments of his career, where he has yet to secure a title, namely the ATP Finals and the Paris Masters.
This schedule begins with the ATP Finals in Turin, which commence on November 15, with Alcaraz being joined by Shelton, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar.
