Defending champ Shelton finding tournament sweet spot in Montreal

Ben Shelton doesn't want to miss his chances on court as he begins the defense of his ATP Montreal Masters title with the goal of arriving in full flow at the US Open.

With the last major of the season starting on August 31 in New York, the American has programmed a full run-up schedule: Washington last week, Montreal and Cincinnati still to come.

"Three tournaments is the perfect amount. I'd like to get as many matches as possible," the fifth seed said on a rainy Monday that saw the start of play delayed several hours with more afternoon rain interruptions.

"I'm the type of player, the more matches I play, the better I play, as long as my body can hold up," Shelton added. "It's a great three-tournament run before having a week off leading up to the US Open. I'm just kind of going for it."

The weather is playing a major role in the controversial 12-day extended Masters, a tournament where world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic are high-profile absentees.

Roland Garros title holder and Wimbledon finalist Alexander Zverev is the top seed ahead of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Shelton, the ATP number 10 who reached last week's Washington quarters, is not bothered by the bloated length of the event which continues to attract criticism throughout the sport and could be ripe for future change.

Shelton said that he is not particularly convinced about the practicality of the format and cannot fault his all-star peers for missing Montreal.

"I don't think that the two-week tournaments -- I think there's a lack of sustainability, for sure, but I don't know if there's a different way to go about it," he said.

"Jannik knows himself. Novak knows himself. Maybe I would do the same thing if I had won Wimbledon -- I didn't.

"It's tough to criticize those guys for the decisions that they make throughout the season when they're trying to sustain a level and maintain their health.

"At the same time, for me, this is one of my favorite parts of the year, one of my best swings, and I don't want to miss out on playing any of these tournaments."

The American son of a former ATP player now coached by his father said that he does not dwell on the 1,000 ranking points he needs to defend in Canada from his 2025 victory.

"I've never been somebody who worries too much about defending. It's just not as much in my nature," he said. "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.

"That's 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.

"To get another opportunity to be playing really good tennis leading into the US Open is kind of my main goal here. I'm looking forward to getting out there again."