The US Open final is behind him, but Ben Shelton’s discussion of tennis was not just about the title he missed out on. On October 2, 2026, Yahoo Sports published a recap of his conversation with The Healthy, produced in partnership with Thorne. The main topic was mental resilience: how to keep working in a sport where even a successful season consists of more than just wins.
Losing as Part of the Job
“We play a sport where you lose almost every week.” Ben Shelton in conversation with The Healthy, as recapped by Yahoo Sports on October 2, 2026.api.tennis
In the conversation, Shelton highlighted the ability to reset mentally after setbacks. As Yahoo Sports reports, he puts mental resilience on the same level as physical training. It is not about one specific loss, but about working through a long tour: defeats keep coming, and getting ready for the next match is something you have to build up again, too.
There is a specific sporting backdrop to this conversation. At the 2026 US Open, Shelton reached the final, where he lost to Alexander Zverev: 3:6, 6:7(2), 7:5, 2:6, according to USOpen.org. Before the final, he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals and Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals.
The match against Alcaraz became the latest-finishing match in tournament history: according to CBS News, it ended at around 3:33 a.m. After the loss, Alcaraz called his opponent “He is a beast,” USOpen.org reports. Shelton himself told the same outlet after the final: “I’m just getting started.” So his October comments about coping with setbacks came soon after a tournament that brought both major wins and a defeat in the final match.
A Day Away from the Tennis Schedule
One way to unwind after the final was to spend a day nowhere near the court. As Shelton told AOL in an article on October 1, he visited the children’s cancer center at Columbia University with Trinity Rodman. The visit became part of his effort to reset after the loss at the US Open.
His schedule does not exactly empty out away from matches, though. In the same conversation with AOL, Shelton spoke about intense media and partnership commitments. He also admitted that exhausting flights often “turn him into a zombie.” Life on tour is not limited to the court, he said; there is also the strain between tournaments.
The subject of pressure had come up in his public conversations before. In June 2026, Shelton appeared on the “Kick it Forward” podcast and discussed life on tour, according to ATP Tour. AOL’s October article also highlighted his approach, in which the process matters more than the result. That is the publication’s characterization, not a promise from the player that he will no longer be bothered by losses.
What Lies Behind the Thorne Partnership
Shelton’s collaboration with Thorne did not begin with this latest interview. The brand announced the partnership on April 14, 2025, in a press release for its “Sports Performance” campaign. Now, in a conversation connected to the partnership, the tennis player has talked about his own supplement routine.
“Thorne and I put together the ‘right cocktail’ of supplements that helps me feel better.” Ben Shelton in an AOL article on October 1, 2026.api.tennis
According to AOL, he listed electrolytes, magnesium bisglycinate at night, and creatine, and also said he was confident about their anti-doping compliance. This is Shelton describing his personal routine for a partnership article, not a universal training plan or a recommendation to readers.
In Yahoo Sports’ recap, Shelton also singled out the difficulty of maintaining his physical condition over the course of a long tournament. In late September, that challenge had a practical consequence: he withdrew from the Japan Open. As AOL reports, the tennis player explained in a video that “the US Open and Davis Cup took a toll on my body.”
Not the Number of Deals, but the Choice
Shelton’s life as a partner is visible beyond the subject of training, too. On announced his signing alongside Iga Swiatek in 2023; he has also appeared in Bose ads, including one with Coco Gauff. But in a September interview with Rich Kleiman for Boardroom, Shelton described his approach to contracts without emphasizing how many he has.
“I’m not someone who chases money or the number of deals.” Ben Shelton in a September 3, 2026 interview with Rich Kleiman for Boardroom.api.tennis
Boardroom highlighted the deliberate choice of partnerships as his business approach. Interest in Shelton, however, is not limited to sports interviews: Highsnobiety has written about his style, and in September 2026 Men’s Health featured On’s “Lights Out” collection for the US Open. He was also featured in the second season of Netflix’s documentary series “Break Point.”
The sporting scale of this public life is reflected in his current profile: Shelton is fourth in the ATP singles rankings, and his season record stands at 39 wins and 16 losses. Since the US Open, his latest matches include two losses in Davis Cup qualifying, to Jakub Mensik and Jiri Lehecka. A successful season does not erase the setbacks he discussed in the interview.
Next on the calendar is the autumn swing. The Rolex Shanghai Masters runs from October 7 to 18, the Swiss Indoors Basel is scheduled for October 26 to November 1, and the Rolex Paris Masters is scheduled for November 2 to 8. Those dates alone do not confirm Shelton’s participation. So far, the latest specific decision he has discussed is his withdrawal from the Japan Open after the demands of the US Open and Davis Cup.