Ben Shelton & Alex de Minaur named as former world No 3 reveals four potential Grand Slam contenders
Former WTA Tour star Nadia Petrova believes Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur could be among those contending to reach Grand Slam finals in 2026.
The 2025 Grand Slam season was dominated by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on the men’s side, with the two splitting all four Grand Slam titles between them.
Alcaraz and Sinner faced off in the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open finals this year, the first time in the Open Era that the same two men have met in three Grand Slam finals in the same season.
The only other player to reach a Grand Slam final in 2025 was Alexander Zverev, who lost to Sinner in the Australian Open final back in January.
It was the first time in the Open Era that only three men reached Grand Slam finals in an individual year, and with Alcaraz and Sinner having won the last eight Grand Slam titles between them, all eyes are on whether a new rival will emerge for the ‘New 2’ in 2026.
One player often named as a potential rival for the pair is US star Shelton, who finished a career-best season ranked ninth in the world — having reached a career-high of world No 5 this year.
The American has losing records against both Alcaraz and Sinner, though he won his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open in August, and recorded career-best results at the first three Grand Slam tournaments of the season.
A semi-finalist at both the 2025 Australian Open and 2023 US Open, the 23-year-old was one of the most consistent players of the season, as was world No 7 de Minaur.
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De Minaur qualified for the ATP Finals for the second straight year and lifted the Washington Open title, though Australian Open and US Open quarter-final defeats mean he now has a 0-6 record at that stage of a major.
However, in a recent interview with Championat, former world No 3 Petrova named both Shelton and de Minaur when asked which top-20 players could reach a Grand Slam final in 2026.
“I like Ben Shelton,” said Petrova (translated from Russian).
“He’s excelled this season and gained some good playing experience. I think that now that he’s in the top 10, he’ll have these goals: to aim for the big tournaments and compete with Alcaraz and Sinner.
“Let’s not write off Alex de Minaur either. He’s slowly climbed into the top ten, finishing seventh. And who better than him, with his experience and dedication, can reach the final through his fight and hard work? Everything should go well for him: the draw, the game, his physical form.”
The winner of 13 WTA Tour titles during her career, two-time French Open semi-finalist Petrova also assessed the hopes of Alexander Bublik and Daniil Medvedev in reaching a major final.
Kazakh star Bublik was ranked outside the top 80 earlier in the year, but surged to a career-high of 11th in the world by the end of the season.
The 28-year-old won four ATP Tour titles during the season — doubling his career total — and also made his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros, while reaching round four of the US Open.
2025 was a difficult season for Medvedev, whose year-end ranking of 13th was his lowest since 2018, with the Russian failing to qualify for the ATP Finals after six straight appearances.
Medvedev lost in the opening round of three straight Grand Slams in 2025, though he rediscovered some form towards the end of the year, winning his first title in over two years at the Astana Open.
Petrova added: “Let’s also take Alexander Bublik. If Sasha has the mood and desire — and he’s proven that this season — he can beat anyone. Now he just needs to figure out his strength and motivation for the two-week tournaments.
“And, of course, our Danill Medvedev. He’s already won a Grand Slam tournament and reached finals. Now he has a new team, and he’ll have good preparation.
“I’m sure Danill can do it. He has the arsenal, the experience, the fearlessness. So he can win more Grand Slams.”
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