It's very clear Shelphone can't be compared to Nadal by any means, not only because of the difference styles but also because of fighting mentality.
Nadal wasn't fit coming into the 2017 YEC, yet he made Goffin work very hard for the round robin win. Goffin served for the match in the 2nd set and had 3 match points late in that set, yet Nadal fought and forced a deciding set. Goffin had a double break lead in that deciding set yet in the end it was a rather tight ending to that set with Goffin winning 6-4. And that was peak Goffin.
Shelphone hasn't been fully fit coming into Shanghai, but he lost comfortably. And it was an aging Goffin on the other side of the net, not the peak Goffin Nadal faced. Amd while Nadal pushed peak Goffin to the very limit in conditions he's uncomfortable with, Shelphone couldn't stay competitive in conditions that favour him.
I'm as far from being a Nadal fan as it gets, but the truth must be written.