Back at the US Open 2023, something pretty unusual happened. Novak Djokovic, who was eyeing his 24th grand slam faced the tough task of rising star Ben Shelton in the semi-finals of the tournament. The match was full of drama and action which saw players from both ends playing at their level best and refusing to give up. However, amidst the drama, a moment of pure frustration saw Novak Djokovic copy Ben Shelton’s famous dialed-in celebration which became the talking point of the match.

Talking today, months after that incident, the Serbian reflected on the incident while suggesting that Shelton crossed the line which made the Djoker emulate his celebration style after his famous win. But, given the Djoker’s stature as a player 20 years ago, should he have been a bit lenient towards the young American?

Novak Djokovic should not have been harsh on Ben Shelton given his own background as someone who was the exact same

In a recent interview, Novak Djokovic looked back on his early tennis years and admitted even the legend of the game, Roger Federer wasn’t a fan of his bold attitude. Djokovic, known for his confidence, faced a lot of criticism from some established players. However, instead of letting it get to him, he used it as motivation to prove himself. Djokovic always admitted when he made mistakes.

“I mean, I know certainly Federer didn’t like the way I was behaving at the beginning. I think it didn’t sit with him well. I don’t know about the others. I guess I wasn’t the favorite type of guy to some of the top guys because I was not afraid to say that I want to be the best player in the world,” said the Serbian.

I never, ever lacked respect. Whenever I start a match, before the match or finish the match, I would always greet the opponent, always acknowledge. Respect is something that I was taught that needs to be present regardless of what is happening,” said Djokovic.

Thus, the Serbian never lacked respect towards his opponents, according to him and always made it clear that he wanted to become the best in the world. He further added that whenever he was caught up in negative comments, it fueled him up and brought an even better version of himself on the tennis courts.

Also read: Novak Djokovic’s ‘Pathetic’ Takes On Ben Shelton and Roger Federer at the Australian Open Receive Flak From Furious Fans

While talking about Shelton, he suggested that he is certainly a great guy. He suggested that he is someone who has a lot of talent and the hunger to be the best. However, he added that there is a fine line, a line that is not visible that could change things quickly.

“As far as Shelton’s level of confidence and coming out, I don’t mind that actually at all. I think it’s great. You got to believe. I’m all for that. But there is obviously some kind of line, non-visible line, of acceptable behavior I guess towards the other player. If a player steps over that line, then obviously it starts being annoying. That’s when you react or you don’t react, whatever. It just depends,” the Serbian further added.

Thus, the feud between Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton took to the next level after Shelton apparently crossed the line. While Novak Djokovic has always been open towards helping youngsters grow and giving them chances, Shelton crossed the line which proved to be nasty for him.

While Novak Djokovic made his stance clear, Ben Shelton came ahead and wanted to clear the matter and just move forward.

Ben Shelton offers his opinion on the US Open fued

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,”  said Shelton back at the US Open while responding to the reports. Months later at the Australian Open, when he was asked about his opinion on the same, he suggested that he would not like to talk further about this and just move on. While suggesting that he gave his thoughts already on the matter, he would not like to talk further about it and move on and focus on what’s coming next.

“I don’t really have anything else to say on the whole US Open situation. I feel like I’ve been asked about it constantly in the last four or five months. I’ve said my piece on the matter. I would rather just let it settle and move forward,” said Shelton while offering his perspective on the whole matter.

Thus, the banter between Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton most certainly went ahead to the next level. While the Serbian mocked his celebration, Shelton came ahead and suggested that he would like to leave this topic and move ahead. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think  Novak Djokovic could have been more generous and not targeted Ben Shelton? Do let us know in the comments below!

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