American tennis sensation Ben Shelton has been getting a lot of hate for his iconic celebration. The trademark celebration which saw him answering a home phone and then slamming it down drew in negative response from the fans. Joining the online melee was World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, whose mimicry of the young American inspired a variety of reactions from fans.

The 21-year-old’s controversial celebration had become more talked about than his matches and games. Shelton has now hinted towards not continuing with his controversial celebration any longer.

Ben Shelton’s ‘Fun Celebration’ Turns Disastrous

In a recent post by ESPN Mexico on their Instagram handle, Ben Shelton can be seen cheerfully talking to their representative. When asked about his iconic celebration the American cleared, “Yeah it was just a fun celebration for me, when I was playing at the US Open. Something that was natural and kind of a shout out to my friends back home but I don’t if we’ll ever see it again”.

The world first saw Shelton’s trademark celebration after an all-American matchup in the US Open. After winning over the crowd with his wicked serve and raw talent, he defeated his friend and fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals.  Just before shaking Tiafoe’s hand, Shelton celebrated by pantomiming himself taking a phone call, and hanging up the receiver.

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Subsequently, Shelton got slammed by the spectators and the fans for being too cocky. In response to this, he explained, “Yeah, so our home phone, when I was growing up in Atlanta, was one like that. If I wanted to talk to my friends or call their home phone, see if they wanted to go outside and throw a football, that was what I did. But for me it’s kind of like I’m saying I’m dialed in.”

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The next match in the US Open itself, the semifinals, saw him getting mocked by one of the greatest players to have ever lived. This further fanned the flames of the controversy.

Novak Djokovic ‘Stole’ Ben Shelton’s Celebration

The controversy surrounding the dialed-in celebration hadn’t simmered down when the ultimate winner of the US Open 2023, Novak Djokovic mimicked it after defeating Shelton. This drew hatred towards the already not-so-liked Serb. While the majority called him ice cold, few even called him hilarious.

The Serb, however quickly played it down in the post-match conference. He revealed, “I just love Ben’s, uh, celebration. I just, uh, I thought it was very original, and I copied him. I stole his celebration.” However, this didn’t stop fans from going on a trolling spree. One even posted the three-time Flushing Meadows title winner’s smug demeanor in the 2019 Wimbledon Championships final, comparing it to his recent mockery.

This didn’t stop Shelton from repeating the same celebration at the Laver Cup 2023 later that year. Which again got a lot of hate from the fans and spectators.

Ben Shelton, all of 21, has a long career ahead of him. We can only wait and see how many times his jovial and jingoistic antics on and off the court get him in trouble.