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Watch: Novak Djokovic ‘steals’ Ben Shelton's celebration at US Open, divides opinion
Novak Djokovic reached yet another US Open final after beating the young American 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4) in 2 hours and 40 minutes
Novak Djokovic got to his fourth Grand Slam final of the season by beating the big-serving American youngster Ben Shelton on Friday in the US Open semi-final. His action right after Shelton hit the net to end the final rally of the match is what seems to have caught the eye of fans and is now being debated online.
Djokovic, who will be playing for his 24th Grand Slam title on Sunday, made a gesture of keeping a phone down after sealing the winning point. It is a celebration that Shelton has made famous this year over the course of his dream run in the tournament. However, not many fans were not happy with what they saw from the Serb, with many considering this as him disrespecting his young opponent.
Shelton said that he hadn't seen Djokovic do it at that moment. "I only saw it after the match. I don't like it when people on social media tell me how I can or can't celebrate," he said. "When you win the game, you deserve to do whatever you want. As a child I always learned that imitation is the most sincere form of appreciation. That's all I'll say about it!"
Djokovic himself said that he did the celebration because he liked it. “I just love Ben’s celebration. I thought it was very original. I copied him. I stole his celebration,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic vs Medvedev again for US Open title
Djokovic now faces Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final. The two players had faced each other in the 2021 title match and Medvedev had stunningly stopped Djokovic from recording a historic Calendar Slam - winning all four Major titles in the year. Medvedev advanced by eliminating defending champ Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the second semifinal Friday night
A year after Djokovic could not travel to the United States for the Open because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, the 36-year-old from Serbia is one victory away from a fourth title in New York and 24th Grand Slam championship overall.
"Well, fact is that, at 36, every Grand Slam final ... could be the last one. So I think that I probably value these occasions and opportunities to win another Slam more than I have maybe 10 years ago,” said Djokovic, who would be the oldest man to win the U.S. Open in the professional era, which began in 1968. "I don't know how many I have ahead of me now.”
He has made it to the finals of all four majors this season, with victories at the Australian Open in January and French Open in June.
