Djokovic Hangs Up The Phone On Shelton

First, he takes your legs, then he takes your soul, and then he takes away your phone. I have to tell you, when I saw Djokovic copy or mock Ben Shelton's celebration after being dialed in and not only did he do this after he beat Shelton, he also hung up on the phone, I started laughing so hard. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

I can't believe that Djokovic did this because I do think that Djokovic is one of the fairest players in the history of tennis. I do think that he deserves the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. He is by far the most gracious one in defeat.

If you have a guy that everybody hates on tour, you know that guy's probably not a good guy on the court. Therefore, in this article, we will discover what made Djokovic mock the opponent with the celebration.

No Perfect Attendance

Well, to explain that, I have to talk about Ben Shelton. One of the biggest pet peeves that fans had in the past with American male tennis players was the fact that they used to skip the clay court season. They would show up somewhere in Madrid halfway through.

This is something that was started by Andy Roddick and then copied by all the other players, where they were basically not going to Europe until right before the French Open.

When these players were asked why they did that, they said that they didn't like the fact that they were away from home for two months traveling in Europe.

And it's one of the most ridiculous reasons ever because these guys are traveling to Monte Carlo, they're going to Rome, they're going to Madrid, they're going to places where people pay a lot of money to vacation. So, to me, this was always something that I could not understand.

In Andy Roddick's case, it made a lot of sense because Roddick had a legitimate chance of winning Wimbledon. He was one volley away from doing so. 

Very early on in Roddick's career, he did play a lot of clay court tournaments, but then later on decided to focus more on the grass.

Rare Sightings On Dirt

I saw Ben Shelton enter the tournament in Estoril, which is the first clay court tournament of the year, and I was very surprised. I couldn't believe that I saw him enter this tournament, and not only did he enter, but he also won a round.

So then, after that, on grass, I decided to watch a full match between Shelton and Stroof. I was extremely impressed with Shelton's serve in that particular match; it looked absolutely unreturnable.

Yes, there were some things that he was doing on a court that were subpar relative to the highest level of the game, but I could see that there was a tremendous amount of potential in Shelton's game.

A Scouting Report

I continued my research on him, wanting to find out more about this rising talent. It turns out that his dad, Brian Shelton, had a tennis career on the pro tour and reached a ranking of 55 in the world.

That wasn't all; Brian also played college tennis for Georgia Tech and even coached the Georgia Tech women's team to an NCAA title. Later, he achieved another NCAA title, this time with the University of Florida Men's team.

As for Ben Shelton, he followed in his father's footsteps by playing for the University of Florida and performed impressively, winning the NCAA singles title. It's clear that tennis runs in the family, and Ben seems to have a bright future ahead of him in the sport.

Celebrations & Behaviors

What I'm about to say might resonate with many of you who have played college tennis, and for those who aren't familiar with it, let me tell you. There's nothing quite as annoying in the tennis world as the behavior of college tennis players during matches.

Here's the scenario: in college tennis, you typically have either three doubles matches or six singles matches happening simultaneously, often on courts right next to each other.

Not only is each individual player shouting and commanding after every point, but they are also yelling to players on other courts, cheering, and screaming.

It can be absolutely irritating for both players and spectators alike.

Maturity Takes Time

I believe what might be happening a bit with Shelton is that he's still behaving as if he's playing a college match. The thing is, you can't carry over the same behavior from college tennis to the professional tour.

It doesn't matter at what level of tennis you're playing; if you're constantly shouting, commanding, and celebrating excessively in your opponent's face, it's going to get on their nerves. There's a time and place for celebrating on the court, especially after winning a significant point or when you're behind in the score.

If you're overdoing it, especially when your opponent makes mistakes, and if it continues throughout the match, it becomes not only irritating to watch but also agitates your opponent, making them even more determined to beat you.

Djoker’s Reaction

It's possible that Djokovic was irritated by Shelton's behavior during their match, which might explain why he reacted the way he did at the end of the match.

However, this incident has unfortunately generated a lot of toxicity within the tennis community. If you browse social media, especially platforms like Twitter and Instagram, you'll likely come across a lot of hate directed towards both Shelton and Djokovic.

While Djokovic's reaction may have been amusing to some, it's regrettable because it's now fueling a wave of negativity and hate within the tennis community.

No Rhythm, No Chances

The match between Shelton and Djokovic was generally considered to be of poor quality. Shelton didn't play anywhere near his potential level, and Djokovic had moments of poor play as well, especially towards the end of the third set.

One key lesson that can be drawn from the match is that serving big and serving fast doesn't necessarily equate to serving well. Even players with incredibly powerful serves like Ivanisevic, Becker, or Sampras were successful not just because of their speed but because they didn't allow the returner to get into a rhythm.

Shelton, on the other hand, allowed Djokovic to find his rhythm, engage in baseline rallies, and ultimately, very few players, except perhaps Alcaraz and Medvedev, can consistently beat Djokovic from the baseline.

This highlights the importance of strategic serving and not just relying on power when trying to dominate on serve.

A Change In Tactics

Shelton had a very slim chance of winning rallies once Djokovic got into a rhythm. To counter this, the greatest servers in the history of tennis would hit their second serves aggressively to prevent the returner from finding their rhythm. Unfortunately, Shelton's second serve lacked the pace and precision needed to disrupt Djokovic's game.

One crucial aspect where Shelton struggled was the significant speed difference between his first serve and second serve. When he missed his first serve, Djokovic had a clear opportunity to engage in a rally off Shelton's second serve, giving him an advantage.

Moreover, Shelton's shot selection on his serve and forehand was subpar. Lefties typically aim to exploit their opponent's weaker side, which for right-handed players is often their backhand.

A good strategy is to utilize a heavy topspin forehand, sometimes hitting it higher to force opponents to hit above their shoulder level. However, Shelton frequently hit balls long, lacked precision in his shot selection, and made many forehand errors.

Final Thoughts

I believe that among the top American players, Ben Shelton holds the most promising potential to break the longstanding drought of American players winning the U.S. Open, a title that has eluded them since 2003. However, it's crucial to recognize the formidable challenges that come with such an achievement.

Winning the U.S. Open as an American would necessitate a combination of factors. This includes an exceptional serve, the ability to consistently hold serve, and a proactive approach to returning opponents' serves. Additionally, the capacity to finish points closer to the net may hold a pivotal role.

Shelton has the tools to be able to do that but it's a learning process. He is very young and remember he's never been to Europe prior to the summer. It is going to take him a few years to grow into his game. It will be interesting to see what he can do for our country in such a wonderful sport.