B. SHELTON/B. Nakashima
6-3, 7-6
THE MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the press conference of our 2026 National Bank Open presented by Rogers Men's Singles Champion Ben Shelton. First of all, congrats, Ben, with a back-to-back title here in Canada. Last year in Toronto, this year in Montreal. What's the secret to your success in Canada?
BEN SHELTON: I don't know. I feel at home here. I feel like the conditions suit me really well. I feel like the crowds really get behind me here, and I think that this is just great tournaments. Toronto, here.
Amazing cities, and a lot of fun to be here and compete. So to go back to back, it means a lot to me, and super happy with where my game was at this week.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please?
Q. Ben, congratulations. First game of the match Brandon gets four aces on the first five points. What goes through your mind at that point?
BEN SHELTON: Uh, expected for me. I've seen the way that he was playing this week. I watched the tape, and he was serving lights out. I mean all the other parts of his game were -- he was doing things really, really well also, but the serve, that's the biggest weapon.
I knew that he was going to come out firing. He did come out hot with the serve. He hit a lot of spots today, hit the lines so many times, especially in the second set. The way that he served with his back against the wall was incredible, clutch serving.
When he hit the flat T serve in the deuce, he had to hit the line to beat me there. I was doing a good job covering that spot up today, and he did hit that line again and again.
So a lot of credit to him the way he played this week, the way he played tonight. He's playing some serious ball.
Q. Congrats on the win. Growing up as tennis players we all dream of making a winner shot to win the championship. And you just did. Does it taste as good as we think?
BEN SHELTON: Yeah. 100 percent. I think that the way you win, for me, it also matters. Not just winning, but the way you do it, and I couldn't be more happy with the way I did it this week.
I thought tonight it was such a good display from me, the way that I moved on the court, the way I struck the ball, my serve and return. I thought I was versatile. I played all-court tennis. And I'm super happy with the way that the match turned out.
And then, yeah, ending the match on a fading backwards forehand winner down the line feels good, for sure.
Q. Ben, congrats. You weren't necessarily the outright favorite when the tournament started, but as the draw quote, unquote opened, you became it and the defending champion obviously. What are you most proud about the way you managed the expectations around you as the tournament progressed?
BEN SHELTON: Yeah. I think I managed it by not thinking about it. To be honest, it's not something that I often think about too heavily.
For me, I take every match at face value. I'm not someone who looks ahead in the draw. So I'm not really thinking about who's left, because I'm pretty focused on the match up in front of me.
And I knew a few times this week that I was playing guys who had beat me before. In the case of the semifinals, a guy that I'd never beaten. So I actually think that some of these matches, you know, I was the quote, unquote underdog, at least that's the way that I looked at it. So that didn't come into play as much for me.
Q. You mentioned the word versatility. You look at some of the great players in the game now and the ones that are still above you despite rising to sixth. How critical is it to continue developing that versatility to be able to realize more of your dreams, win Grand Slams, beat some of those guys that we know are the greats in the game right now?
BEN SHELTON: Yeah, it's huge. For me this week was a massive stepping stone, I would say even more than what I did in Toronto last year because the way that I did it.
I thought I was much more clinical, more focused. I was an elite returner at times. But the way that I was able to break serve, the fashion in which I did it, my ability to play defense and offense, I'm excited with the way that I'm progressing.
Throughout this season on the hardcourts I felt that each tournament I've gotten better and better. And obviously we're still early in this US Open swing and have a lot of hard court tennis to play through the rest of the year. So I'm just really looking forward to see what kind of damage I can do moving forward.
Q. Ben, congrats. With your second title in a row here in Canada, you're joining a really short list of people who did that before, like Agassi and Nadal. What does that mean for you?
BEN SHELTON: Wait. So the guys who went back to back here was Agassi and Nadal?
Q. You are sixth.
BEN SHELTON: Yeah, because on court they said Murray and a few others.
Yeah. It's an elite group to be a part of, even if it's just one category, you know. Those are guys that have won absolutely everything that there is to win in tennis. Obviously I'm nowhere near that, and I would never say or claim to be among those guys.
I've got a lot of work to do in terms of my game. So that's what I continue to focus on, the ways that I can improve, the way that I can increase my level, get closer to the guys who are at the top of the game.
I'm not as much thinking about the legends of the sport. I'm more thinking in the present and the future, where I'm going and what I'm doing right now.
But, you know, obviously those are the tennis legends and icons. So like I said, to be among them in anything is an honor, for sure.
Q. You've mentioned the future and the US Open. What's on your mind right now? What's your next goal? What's your next step in your career?
BEN SHELTON: Cincinnati. I play in three days. So gonna get there tomorrow and get back to work, and yeah. Hopefully I get a Sunday start, not a Saturday start. And yeah, let's see what we can do there.
Q. Ben, with the way you won this tournament, how much confidence does that give you to challenge the Janniks, Carloses of this tour?
BEN SHELTON: Yeah. I think it's a constant process for me. I love having people out in front of me that I can chase. It's been that way my whole career. I've never just been the best. I've always been chasing the best. Been a little bit behind, you could say, in my progression, and I think that's pushed me in every aspect of my tennis game.
And, you know, I'll continue to work, to chase the guys that are in front of me. Obviously try to stay ahead of these young guys that are coming out on tour.
I played a lot of young guys this week. The future of the sport, really, really high-quality players, and they're not stopping. There's so many more that are coming up.
So I think that tennis is a game that you gotta keep improving or you get passed up, you get left in the dust. And so my job with the gifts that I have is to try to maximize, do as much as I can in the sport, become the best version of myself, and that's where my focus lies.
Q. Last year you played so well in Toronto, and this year you dominated Montreal. You didn't drop a set all tournament. So what part of your game do you think you improved the most this year?
BEN SHELTON: Definitely my return game, 100 percent. But also my offensive baseline tennis.
I think last year I definitely won the tournament the hard way. I wasn't focused the whole time. I had ups and downs throughout the week, throughout different matches. Had my back against the wall a lot of times. I found a way to scrap it out. I was doing a lot of running back at the back fence.
This year I was closer up on the baseline in my positioning. I was more offensive with my shots. I was cleaner, more clinical with the way that I went about my service games. I attacked at the right times. I was able to turn defense into offense a lot quicker, a lot more efficiently. And I think I moved a lot better as well.
So this win is a lot more satisfying. Obviously last year, to fight the way I did was pretty crazy to end that tournament with a title. I'm not exactly sure how it ended up that way. But to do it the way I did it this year, without a shadow of a doubt, feels a lot better.
Q. Two-part question. On a week like this where everything seems to click, everything is working well, did you get like some particular habit, like a place to go to eat, a particular shower? Was there something that kind of you got into the routine of doing? And the second part, how do you keep going in a different city, different conditions, different court, different everything?
BEN SHELTON: Yeah. I'm not superstitious in that way. I definitely like to keep my routines pretty similar in terms of the way that I warm up, the way that I practice, what I eat prematch, for sure, how much time I give myself in between matches -- I mean, sorry -- in between my warmup and the match, I think all are things that are important to me. But other than that, I'm not too superstitious.
I'm somebody who thrives off of match play. When I'm playing a lot of matches, I find my form. So getting to the back end of a tournament and knowing that I'm going to the next tournament, Cincinnati, and it's starting in just a few days is massive for me and my confidence to be able to keep things going, keep it rolling.
Definitely can compared to last year, I guess this is kind of back to his question as well, but winning the way that I won this week, it's going to be a lot easier on my body to be ready for Cincinnati in a few days.
I was completely destroyed arriving in Cincy and we were just trying to survive there last year. I feel that physically I'm in a much better place this year.
Q. How much this Masters win means to you, especially considering the ups and downs you had in these tournaments since the beginning of the year?
BEN SHELTON: Yeah, it means a lot. For me, it hasn't been the best stretch for me at the big tournaments. I've definitely had some big highlights this year with the titles won. And once I've got going in a tournament, it's tough to slow me down. But I hadn't performed so far this year as well as I wanted to at the big tournaments.
It's always good to be able to turn that around. I think that tennis is a sport you get so many opportunities to compete. The year is so long, which is a blessing and a curse because you always have something new to look forward to, another opportunity to show up. And for me, I know that just one match can kind of change everything.
So I think that's how I look at things, and it really does help me stay in the moment and be ready for when my opportunity does come up that I'm in the right mental space.
I'm not thinking about what happened earlier in the year. I'm knowing, okay, we're on hardcourts now. We're in my favorite swing. This is a tournament that I always play well at versus, oh, you know, I have these points to defend. No.
Going into this tournament I was like, okay, I'm No. 10 in the race right now going into my favorite swing of the year, and I'm ready to make a move. And I think that having that type of mentality really paid off for me.
THE MODERATOR: That will be a wrap to this year. Thank you, everyone.
BEN SHELTON: Thanks, guys. Appreciate it.
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