WATCH: Novak Djokovic imitates Ben Shelton’s ‘phone’ celebration after defeating him in US Open semi-final

The Serbian Tennis maestro Novak Djokovic continued his dominating performance in the ongoing US Open as he defeated the American player Ben Shelton in the semi-final clash on Friday, September 8 at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium. He defeated Shelton in straight sets with scores of 6-3, 6-2 and 7-6.

Meanwhile, after defeating Shelton, Djokovic decided to mock his opponent with his ‘phone’ celebration. The fans gave mixed reactions to this gesture of Djokovic. Some said that Djokovic shouldn’t have done this while many believed that he has every right to celebrate his win in any way.

Watch the video here:

I didn’t see it until after the match” Ben Shelton

Shelton talked about the incident and said that he wasn’t aware of this until he saw it after the match. However, Shelton said that he was completely fine with Djokovic’s celebration as he deserved to do whatever he wanted to do for the celebration. He also revealed as growing up, he learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. 

“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 growing up, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” Shelton said in the post-match conference.

Now, Djokovic will be facing the winner of the semi-final contest between Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. However, if Alacaraz defeats Medvedev, it would be Djokovic and Alcaraz’s 3rd clash of the year. The Spanish star defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final while Djokovic was victorious in the Cincinnati Masters.

Alcaraz is the defending champion in the US Open and it’d be interesting to see if he will be able to defend his title or if Djokovic will defeat him for the second time in 2023. However, first, Alcaraz needs to get rid of Medvedev in the semi-final contest.