The likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have undoubtedly been the best players on the ATP Tour this year. The duo shared the four Grand Slam titles between them, with each winning a couple. Additionally, they also found success in other big tournaments. As a result, there has been a constant debate about who has been the better of the two. Earlier today, Ben Shelton gave his opinion about which of the players he loves to watch on the tour.

Shelton is currently in Basel where he is participating in the Swiss Indoors. The American sensation is through to the quarterfinals after a sensational victory over Stan Wawrinka yesterday. Ahead of his showdown against the top seed Andrey Rublev, Shelton revealed his two favorite players to watch.

Snubbing Jannik Sinner for the likes of Alcaraz and Grigor Dimitrov, he said, “Alcaraz is a great athlete, can hit every shot in the book, entertains the crowd and always has a smile on his face. He is a personality on the court, that is what I like to watch and he gives me that fix of seeing an entertainer but someone who also plays the game at the highest level. Grigor plays the game so beautifully. I think that a lot of what he does is similar to what Roger used to do. Perfect technique, slice, the serve. He is technically sound on every shot, so that is why I adore watching him.”

Statistically speaking, Alcaraz has had a better head-to-head record against Jannik Sinner. In the 10 matches played between them, the Spaniard prevailed on 6 occasions. More importantly, Alcaraz won all the three matches between them this year. A possible showdown in the ATP Finals in Turin will surely be on the cards as Sinner will look for revenge in his home country.

Meanwhile, for Shelton, the rise continues as he takes big strides despite being just 22 years old. After beating Wawrinka in Basel yesterday, he shared an interesting tale about the duo’s conversation before their match.

Ben Shelton on Stan Wawrinka: ‘Done incredible things for our sport’

It was always going to be tough for Shelton against an experienced Wawrinka. But the American star produced a masterclass display and went on to defeat Wawrinka in straight sets on his home ground. Ahead of their match, the two shared a brief interaction in the locker room which Shelton spilled the beans on after defeating the Swiss legend.

He said, “We were joking in the locker room before the match that he [Wawrinka] has been on the Tour as long as I have lived. He’s got a lot of experience and a lot of love around the world. He’s done incredible things for our sport. Especially here in Switzerland. You can tell with the fan support today… I had to smile at times today because obviously it’s against me. But it’s so cool to see a country and tournament get behind a guy like that who’s been such an icon. Shout out to Stan. I don’t think I’m still gonna be out here winning matches at 39.”

Shelton’s match against Rublev is currently underway. There is a neck-to-neck fight going on in the opening set, with both players giving their best. It’ll be interesting to see if Shelton can continue his giant-killing run and win the title in Basel. What do you think?