Novak Djokovic celebrated his win over Ben Shelton at the US Open by using his 'hang up' celebration, causing a stir on social media.
Novak Djokovic prouds himself about being quite respectful on the tennis court, even in defeat. He wasn't disrespectful against Shelton, but there was some added spice there which usually doesn't happen, at least not in this way.
Djokovic is known to clash with crowds and direct some celebrations towards them, but he rarely does that with players. He kind of did with Shelton as he used his 'hang up' celebration after beating the youngster in the US Open semi-final.
As you might have expected, it created a stir on social media, with many wondering why. Quite a few tennis fans actually called out Djokovic for the celebration, calling it unnecessary. Some called it 'cold' though Shelton himself didn't mind.
Speaking after the match, Shelton said that he didn't see it until after the match but a rather cold handshake, for Djokovic's standards at least, makes you wonder if that is really true. Djokovic himself played down the celebrations as him simply liking it for being original.
And I just love Ben's celebration. I thought it was very original, and I copied him. I stole his celebration.
Sure, it might be like that, but it might be different. Djokovic knows how to play up the situation, but he's had moments like this before, especially with crowds. It's not impossible to imagine that it was deliberate for whatever reason.
If that's the case, perhaps he'll do a dead fish celebration if he wins the US Open against Daniil Medvedev. That's the one the Russian had against him when he beat him in the US Open final two years ago. For now, the 'hang up' celebration is making waves on social media.
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