Ben Shelton is playing "The Long Game" in new YouTube docuseries

Meet Ben Shelton, unedited and unfiltered.

The world No. 9 officially waded into content creation on Wednesday with the launch of both his official YouTube channel and digital docuseries aptly titled "The Long Game."

The first episode chronicled what was a career-best season so far for the 23-year-old former college star in 2025, in which he won his first Masters 1000 title, qualified for the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time, and rose to a career-high ranking of No. 5.

🖥️📲 Stream Shelton's best matches of 2025 on the Tennis Channel App!

"If you would've told me three years ago that I'd be in the position I'm in now," Shelton begins in the episode, which is set primarily at the US Open, "I probably wouldn't believe you. Now, I think anything is possible in this sport."

The 11-minute episode centers primarily on what was a premature end for Shelton in New York, when he was forced to retire against Adrian Mannarino in the third round with a shoulder injury. Throughout, he speaks frankly about how health and career longevity are linked, the positive influence that his girlfriend Trinity Rodman has had on him, and that results are "an afterthought" for him and his team in favor of incremental improvements.

"This story isn't fully written yet," Shelton says at one point. And while it's referring to his 2025 season in the context of the episode, it's a comment that could apply to his overall outlook on his career, too.

"It's only my third year out on tour, and I forget sometimes that I finished last year [2024] outside the Top 20," he says in closing the episode. "I've got big goals, dreams, aspirations in this sport. Every year I feel a little bit closer."

Speaking to Front Office Sports ahead of the show's debut, Shelton said he and team behind the show hope to keep presenting his story "as uncut as possible" in future episodes.

“I think that the more authentic that you can be, the more that you can really put yourself out there and show people the real you without closing it off or cutting too much," he said.