Rising American star Ben Shelton has been on a roll of late. He enjoyed a remarkable run at the US Open, where he made it to the semifinals. However, his phone celebration became the biggest talking point within the tennis fraternity. It seems that the celebration has crossed boundaries, and athletes from other fields have also caught on.
Shelton made waves with his skills at Flushing Meadows, where the phone call move made its debut. It spread like wildfire, as Novak Djokovic ‘hung up the call’ on Ben after defeating him in the semifinals. Fans had later criticized Djokovic for mocking Ben, but the Serb confessed he stole it because he liked the move.
The celebration did not stop with the US Open though, as Lorenzo Musetti repeated it at the Davis Cup. Fabio Fognini also joined the party, after winning the semifinal at the Genoa Challenger last month. And now, it has spread beyond tennis, as soccer star Achraf Hakimi was spotted hanging up the phone during a match.
✅ Djokovic
✅ HakimiThe @BenShelton phone celebration is catching on 📲☎️ pic.twitter.com/nzJQnPqT49
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 5, 2023
The ever-growing popularity of the celebration has amazed Shelton. In a recent interview, the 19-year-old opened up about it, stating that he found it pretty funny.
However, fans were quick to point out that the move was actually popularized by Djokovic and not Shelton. One user pointed out that Hakimi and Djokovic are friends, so it is likely that the soccer player was inspired by the Serb. Another user popped Shelton’s bubble by commenting, “The kid thinks he made it famous LoL.” Here are a few reactions to Shelton’s comments.
The kid thinks he made it famous LoL😅
— RIshi Kumar 🇮🇳 (@RIshi_Kumar92) October 5, 2023
So @AchrafHakimi is one of the best defenders in the world, he is friends with Djokovic. The fact that Ben Shelton thinks Hakimi was copying his phone celebrating is on of the funniest things I’ve heard today.
Bro he doesn’t even know who you are! 😂
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) October 6, 2023
I did’t like it in the first place when he did it to Tiafoe. But I am pretty sure that has gone viral because of Djokovic’s response,which was savage.
— Alex (@sweetie_misa) October 5, 2023
A lot has been said about Ben Shelton’s celebration and Djokovic’s apparent mockery of it. Irrespective of the controversy, the teen has been in good form and will try to continue in that vein in China too.
Ben Shelton will look to replicate his success at the Shanghai Masters
The teen is set to play his first tournament in China this month. Shelton has not performed well at the ATP tours, despite his success at the US Open. Ben will try to replicate his winning formula in Shanghai since he has not qualified beyond the second round at any ATP 1000 tournaments.
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Shelton is seeded 19th in Shanghai and received a first-round bye. He took on Jaume Munar in the second round and kicked off his journey with a win. Shelton easily defeated Munar 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets.
Ben Shelton is one of the breakout stars this year, and he has proven to be an exciting talent. He broke into the top 20 for the first time in his career and will look to consolidate his position in China.
