Novak Djokovic copied Ben Shelton’s celebration after beating him in the US Open semi-final and both players had their say on the incident in the aftermath of the match
Djokovic moved a step closer to a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title as he booked his spot in Sunday’s final at Flushing Meadows. He dispatched of 20-year-old American sensation Shelton in straight sets (6-3, 6-2, 7-6) with a dominant display.
After his match point, the Serbian appeared to troll Shelton by copying the celebration he performed after beating Frances Tiafoe in his quarter-final two days earlier. The Serbian pretended to hang up an imaginary telephone – just as Shelton had done on Wednesday.
The celebration saw some accuse Djokovic of disrespecting his young opponent by mimicking him immediately after the defeat. But he offered a simple explanation when asked about why he did it after the match.
“I just love Ben’s celebration,” Djokovic said. “I thought it was very original. I copied him. I stole his celebration.”
Shelton admitted he had not seen the gesture until after the match. However, he stated he could have no complaints and looked to take it as a compliment that he had been copied by the best player in the world.
Shelton said: “I didn’t see it until after the match.. I don’t like when I am 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 growing up, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”