Former World No. 1 Ferrero will 'officially' join American’s team in the offseason

Ben Shelton and Juan Carlos Ferrero have enjoyed a small preview of their new partnership ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Shelton, the third seed at the prestigious season finale, practised alongside former World No. 1 Ferrero for the first time in Italy, ahead of the Spaniard joining his team in the offseason. The 24-year-old Shelton, who has enjoyed the best year of his career in 2026 under the guidance of his coach and father Bryan Shelton, was happy to have had the chance to practise under Ferrero’s watch at Inalpi Arena.

“He’s here for the [No. 1 Club Gala] and came for a few days to spend some time on court together before we, I guess, officially start in the offseason with training,” Shelton explained on the Nitto ATP Finals media day. “I think that there will be a lot more detail and things to work on when we get to the offseason and this season ends.

“We’re not trying to change too much right now in the last tournament of the year, but it’s great to have another tennis mind giving their thoughts and opinions. Especially in a tournament like this where you have to be playing exceptional tennis to win matches, playing against the best of the best. That’s been fun to start.”

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Shelton is 45-19 for 2026, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, a tally which includes an ATP Masters 1000 title run in Montreal. The big-serving lefty this year also reached his first Grand Slam final, at the US Open, and will hope that the combination of his father Bryan and Ferrero can help him onto even better things in 2027.

Ben Shelton/Juan Carlos Ferrero
Ben Shelton and Juan Carlos Ferrero during a practice at the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals. Photo: Jack Howell/ATP Tour

For now, the World No. 4’s focus is Turin, where he will begin his second Nitto ATP Finals campaign on Sunday against tournament debutant Arthur Fils. Shelton holds a 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead over Fils, although the pair has not met since the 2024 season.