Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are set to compete at this week’s ATP Finals in Turin, drawing motivation from a historic season for US women’s tennis.
American women dominated 2025, with Madison Keys and Coco Gauff winning the Australian and French Opens, and Amanda Anisimova finishing runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open. Four Americans also competed at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the most since 2002, highlighting the country’s resurgence in women’s tennis.
Fritz, 28, and Shelton, 23, will represent the US in the men’s singles together for the first time since 2006. “The women have been really carrying US tennis, so it is time for the men to step up,” Fritz told CNN Sports.
Fritz, a three-time Turin participant, was a semifinalist in 2022 and runner-up last year, while Shelton makes his ATP Finals debut following his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto. “This is where you want to be, making the last push in a place like this with a lot on the line,” Shelton said.
Both are also competing for the distinction of finishing the year as the top-ranked American. They hope to revive US men’s presence at Grand Slam events, a title that has eluded the country since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open victory.
Despite the dominance of top-ranked players Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Shelton believes the depth and determination of the US men’s squad is improving. “We’ve had our work cut out for us to catch up to the women who have been dominating … but we’re getting closer,” he said.
With confidence high and motivation drawn from the women’s success, Fritz and Shelton aim to make their own mark at Turin and push US men’s tennis back to prominence.