Djokovic’s controversial “waste” his young rival, by winning the US Open semis

Novak Djokovic defeated this Friday Ben Shelton in three sets, for the semifinals of the US Openbut he made an ironic gesture that caught the attention of the spectators.

The Serbian beat the local surprise 6-3, 6-2 and 7-6 (7-4) and will also define the US Openof which he is a regular protagonist.

The number 2 in the world ranking entered the decisive match by winning 6-3, 6-2 and 7-6 (7-4) over the young and surprising local tennis player Ben Shelton (47th) in the stadium Arthur Ashe. Nole He maintained control of the game almost the entire match and saved a set point against in the third set (4-5) before closing it with suspense and advancing to the final of the last grand slam it’s from the season.

The player born in Belgrade does 36 years Thus he managed to get into the four big finals this year. She won the title in the Australian Open and Roland Garros and suffered a painful defeat in Wimbledon in view of Alcaraz.

In the first and second set he was lapidary: he gave no room for illusion Sheltonthe 20-year-old American who revolutionized the US Open: He used the passport for the first time last December, he drives at 240 km/h and is sponsored by the Swiss Roger Federer.

Overwhelmed in the first two sets, beyond having some opportunities, Shelton He added excitement to the third. There he considerably raised his level before a Djokovic who began to make more mistakes as he approached the end of the game.

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ben He achieved two breaks of serve and had that point for a set at 5-4. He even raised a match point before forcing a tiebreaker. He reached that point in his first confrontation with someone who has accumulated 23 Grand Slam titles, one more than Nadal.

The controversy over the celebration of Nole

As a closing, by achieving his last point and sealing his passage to the final, Nole copied the celebratory gesture of Shelton, which consists of making him speak on the phone and then hanging up the call. It closed perfectly to the Serbian: it was like pretending that he cut off communication, almost a message that the story of the young promise “had ended.” It seems that, for this reason, the gesture of Shelton When greeting each other online, he was not exactly very effusive.

The “humor” of Djokovic It sounded more like a provocation, with a gesture that traveled the world and sparked debate about whether it was necessary at this point in his career, at 36 years old and with so much glory on his shoulders.

Then, at the press conference, Djokovic continued with the topic: “I love Ben’s celebration. I found it very original. So I copied it. “I stole their celebration.”

While, Shelton He also had his explanation: “I didn’t see him until after the game. I don’t like it 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 what you want. As a child, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”