Novak Djokovic steals Ben Shelton's phone celebration after defeating 20-year-old at US Open
Novak Djokovic sent a message of sorts after defeating Ben Shelton on Friday in the US Open semifinals.
After putting away Shelton in a third-set tiebreaker, the 23-time Grand Slam champion copied the celebration that's become a bit of a signature for the 20-year-old American during his breakthrough US Open run. Djokovic emphatically "hung up the phone" after his 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) win as he walked toward the net to exchange a brief handshake with Shelton.
The No. 2 seeded Djokovic advances to Sunday's final, where he will attempt to win a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title against the winner of Friday's later match between No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. Australia's Margaret Smith Court won 24 Grand Slam singles titles during her career in the 1960s and 70s to set the all-time record in tennis among women and men.
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Novak Djokovic hangs up the phone on Ben Shelton after beating him at the US Open. 📞🥶 pic.twitter.com/aTnjVFDWHY
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 8, 2023
"I just love Ben's celebration. I thought it was very original and I copied him. I stole his celebration," Djokovic said with a smile.
Shelton said he didn't see Djokovic do the celebration live, but he was fine with it.
THIS LEAGUE! THIS LEAGUE! THIS LEAGUE! pic.twitter.com/M39UlKWfxu
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2023
“I don’t like when I’m on social media and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can’t celebrate. I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want,” Shelton said. “As a kid growing up, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so that’s all I have to say about that.”
Ben Shelton on Novak Djokovic doing his phone celebration at US Open:
“I didn’t see it until after the match. I don’t like when I’m on social media and I see people telling me how I can or can’t celebrate. If you win the match you deserve to do whatever you want. As a kid… pic.twitter.com/Xj8dDpocvH— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 8, 2023
Shelton said earlier in the tournament that the celebration is "saying I'm dialed in" and credited former Florida track star Grant Holloway for helping inspire it. Shelton won an NCAA championship playing tennis for the Gators and still lives in Gainesville. He turned pro last year and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open early this year before going one stage further in New York.
Ben Shelton on his post-match phone celebration:
"For me, it's kind of like I'm saying I'm dialed in. That's what it is for me. I'm really close friends with a lot track & field athletes who train at the University of Florida. One in particular, Grant Holloway, who's won the… pic.twitter.com/xWnBO8jRvD— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 6, 2023
“These are the kind of matches and occasions that I still thrive on. They still get me going and inspire me to wake up and work hard like the young guys,” Djokovic said.
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Novak Djokovic copies Ben Shelton's phone celebration at US Open
