Ben Shelton isn’t fazed by being defending NBO champ

The exciting American won his first Masters 1000 crown last year in Toronto but isn’t fazed by trying to back it up this year as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers switches to Montreal. 

“I think that if you're always thinking about defending or what week that you made points or didn't make points, it's easy to kind of get lost in your mind, which is why I like to just think about my body of work for this year, 2026, what I'm doing and what I want to accomplish by the end of the year,” Shelton told reporters Monday. “I’ve never been somebody who worries too much about defending. It’s just not as much in my nature. I tend to look at the (calendar-year) race more than the rankings. So, it's something I think about less.”

For the record, the 23-year-old sits ninth in the calendar-year standings, despite uncharacteristically early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon. He is just ahead of the two players who contested the Washington final, Taylor Fritz and Rafael Jodar. They’ll both be in Montreal. 

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This part of the season is where Shelton habitually shines. He thrives on hard courts and playing at home, or close to it. Besides winning in Toronto last year. Shelton’s lone Grand Slam semifinal came at the US Open in 2023. He’s also made the quarter-finals twice in Cincinnati. 

“This is one of my favourite parts of the year, one of my best swings, and I don't want to miss out on playing any of these tournaments,” said Shelton, who is accompanied in Montreal by his partner, Trinity Rodman. “So that's kind of where I'm at. I probably got a few too many last year going into the US Open,” continued Shelton, perhaps referring to having to retire at the US Open with a shoulder injury in the third round. “But I think that I'm the type of player, the more matches I play, the better I play, as long as my body can hold up.

“It's a great three-tournament run or swing before having a week off leading up to the US Open. So, yeah, just kind of going for it.”

Shelton enters Montreal after losing in the quarter-finals in Washington to Toronto-born Alejandro Tabilo, his fellow lefty. In his only other appearance in Montreal in 2024, Shelton lost in the second round — but to the eventual champion, Alexei Popyrin. He starts against either Popyrin’s fellow Aussie, Adam Walton, or countryman Jenson Brooksby later this week. 

“Montreal is a great city, a fun city to be playing in,” he said. 

Photo: Pascal Ratthé