Novak Djokovic has admitted for the first time he was mocking Ben Shelton by slamming down an imaginary telephone after beating the American in the US Open semi-finals. Unseeded Shelton, 20, celebrated his victories on the way to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows by pretending to answer a phone and then hanging up.
After a tense last four clash, Djokovic copied the gesture on his way to his 24th Grand Slam title. In his post-match press conference, the Serbian superstar claimed the celebration was “original and I copied him” and Shelton took it as a compliment. But speaking to L’Equipe before the start of his latest Australian Open defence, Djokovic revealed the truth when asked if he liked to provoke and get into the heads of his opponents.
“You use the word ‘provoke’,” he responded. “I don’t provoke. This is my reaction to a provocation that came from the opposite side. Regarding Ben Shelton, it was a reaction against him, on the fact that he did not behave correctly, with respect on the court, and also before the match.
“That’s the story. I’m never going to make fun of someone if they don’t do something first. Every time I lose, I always give my opponent a hug, I congratulate him, I respect him and his team. But if someone places themselves in the ‘unsportsmanlike’ zone, I react.”
Shelton, who is now up to world No.16, claimed the celebration was his way of “saying I’m dialled in” and said it was also a tribute to his friend and fellow former Florida athlete Grant Holloway. Speaking about Djokovic’s action in September, Shelton’s father Bryan told GQ Magazine: “He wanted to mock Ben at the end. It wasn’t something he was doing just to copy Ben. It was to mock him.”
Djokovic lost only one Grand Slam match last season to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final and he admitted he thinks “a lot” later about his big defeats.
But the Serbian added: “Sometimes it goes like that. Like against Federer when he had match point in the Wimbledon final (2019). That day, he was the best player, he was supposed to win.
“This year it was me who was perhaps the best player in the final at Wimbledon for most of the match, I was supposed to win and I lost (1-6, 7-6 [6], 6 -1, 3-6, 6-4). That doesn’t mean Carlos didn’t deserve it. It’s like that. At this level, a missed shot can be very costly.
“After big defeats, I can’t say that I hate the feelings I have because I don’t have that word in my vocabulary. Let’s say I don’t like them. But I love them too. Because I know that it will fuel me, push me even more for the future, and that’s what happened after Wimbledon. I only lost twice to Sinner and won every tournament I entered.”
Djokovic and Shelton are scheduled to renew their rivalry in the last 16 here.
