In 2023, Ben Shelton enjoyed his best-ever Grand Slam campaign when he reached the semifinals at the US Open.
Shelton, just 20 years old at the time, had taken the tennis world by storm at Flushing Meadows that year, earning victories over Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul to advance to the final four.
The American’s next test came in the form of then-23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who was in pursuit of tying Margaret Court’s record for the most majors of any player, man or woman, in history.
Despite taking his opponent to a tiebreak in the third set, Shelton was defeated by Djokovic in straight sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After securing the win in a largely comfortable fashion, the Serb delivered one final blow to the young star.
Ben Shelton’s reaction to Novak Djokovic mocking his celebration
During his run in New York, Shelton had been concluding his impressive wins by pretending to hang up a phone.
As Djokovic walked towards the net to shake his hand after beating him, he mocked his celebration in front of the crowd.
In Shelton’s post-match press conference, he said of the situation: “I didn’t see it until after the match.
“You know, I don’t like when I’m on social media and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can’t celebrate. You know, I think 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, so that’s all I have to say about that.”
What Ben Shelton said about playing Novak Djokovic for the first time
Shelton said of his first clash with Djokovic: “I learned that he’s a guy who can compete at the highest level, has, you know, a similar mentality to me on the court with how he wants to come after you and be aggressive and show his emotion.
“I tried to go into the match with a really open mind. You know, it’s like when I always watched him on TV, it was, like, I was a little kid, you know, who maybe wasn’t even playing tennis yet or played a little bit of tennis but was playing it for fun.
“I think that I’m a completely different person now than I was then. So honestly, when I went onto the court, I wasn’t expecting anything than the tape that I have watched from his last few matches here.
“I kind of just went into the match like I was playing any other player,” he added.
The two have never met on the ATP Tour since their 2023 bout at the US Open.
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