Novak Djokovic had hung up on Ben Shelton after beating the American in 2023 US Open semifinal.

Nick Kyrgios speaks on Novak Djokovic imitating Ben Shelton’s celebration (Images via LA Times, US Open)

The debate around Serbian tennis ace and 2023 US Open champion Novak Djokovic imitating Ben Shelton’s celebration after beating him in the semifinals has fueled up again with the American’s father taking a jibe at Djokovic. As Ben Shelton’s father criticized the 24-time Grand Slam winner for mocking his son, fans started a discussion and Nick Kyrgios was quick to jump in.

The Australian who is quite active on social media spoke in Djokovic’s support saying there was nothing wrong with it. Kyrgios also said that sport is entertainment and there should not be so much fuss made about something this small.

Notably, after Djokovic beat Shelton in straight sets in the US Open semis, he pretended to hang up on the 20-year-old as he imitated his celebration looking at the crowd. It was followed by a cold handshake on the net. The players were asked about it and both Djokovic and Shelton shared their views with fans too discussing how they felt.
While the debate seemed to take a backstage, Bryan Shelton dropped a bomb saying Djokovic just wanted to mock his son. Amid all this debate of whether the Serbian was right or wrong in giving it back to Shelton, Kyrgios shared his opinion saying players are not robots. “SO WHAT?!?!? SPORT IS ENTERTAINMENT. WE AREN’T ROBOTS. MORE PEOPLE SPOKE ABOUT THE CELEBRATION THEN THE MATCH,” posted Nick Kyrgios on X.

SO WHAT?!?!? SPORT IS ENTERTAINMENT. WE AREN’T ROBOTS. MORE PEOPLE SPOKE ABOUT THE CELEBRATION THEN THE MATCH 😂 https://t.co/SIWS7WRb6O

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) September 15, 2023

What did others make of Novak Djokovic imitating Ben Shelton?

Novak Djokovic copies Ben Shelton’s phone celebration (File Pic)
Novak Djokovic imitating Ben Shelton’s celebration garnered significant attention when it happened. While the Serbian laughed it off saying he just stole Shelton’s celebration as it was original and unique, the youngster took pride saying “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. His father, however, did not look at it that way and felt offended after seeing a champion player doing such things.

While the main characters had their say, fans and others also took part in the debate. As usual, social media was divided and had mixed reactions. Other players on the tour, meanwhile, did not say much except for Christopher Eubanks who is also Shelton’s dear friend. The American said that while he felt protective towards Ben Shelton immediately after the incident, Eubanks said that it was actually nice that Djokovic imitated Shelton.

The American said that it happens in other sports and tennis should not be an exception. “This happens in every other sport,” Eubanks said to GQ magazine for which Ben Shelton did a photoshoot a few days back. “We could use some more of this,” he added.