"I feel this is personal for Novak Djokovic" - Serb's controversial phone celebration after US Open SF win leaves Liam Broady amused
Novak Djokovic overcame a late challenge from young Ben Shelton to advance into the finals of the 2023 US Open following a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4) win on Friday, September 8.
Djokovic, who appeared to be cruising after having bagged the first two sets, was put to the test by Shelton in the third. The American had a chance to take the third set but ended up going down in an exciting tie-break.
A less-than-warm handshake between the two players summed up the atmosphere even as Djokovic mocked the American's phone celebration gesture, which drew a response from fellow tennis player Liam Broady.
The post-match drama prompted the Brit to declare that the intent of the celebration was probably "personal" for the three-time US Open champion.
"I feel like this is personal for Novak? The way he celebrated the end of that set was crazy intense," Broady wrote on Twitter.
Broady's senior compatriot Mark Petchey, meanwhile, used wry humour, referring to an "ice phone" as the new must-have accessory in the tennis world.
"Ice phone, the new must accessory".
To his credit, Ben Shelton refused to be intimated by Novak Djokovic or overtly overawed by the ocassion as he began by attempting to unsettle the 36-year-old with his trademark powerful serves at the beginning of the contest.
Djokovic, however, managed to nullify the strategy by standing further behind the baseline than he normally does. The World No. 2, who struggled a bit with his serves in the quarterfinal, was on song against Shelton, sailing through his service games with ease.
Interestingly, while Djokovic referred to Carlos Alcaraz's achievements as a 20-year-old, he made no mention of Ben Shelton is his on-court interview.
"I expect the toughest match for me" - Novak Djokovic looks ahead to final against either Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev
Novak Djokovic is looking forward to the "toughest match of the tournament" when he takes on either Daniil Medvedev or Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the 2023 US Open on Sunday evening.
Djokovic lost to Medvedev in the finals of the New York Major a couple of years ago. On the other hand, he went down agaisnt Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this year after going past the 20-year-old in the French Open a few weeks ago.
"I expect the toughest match of the tournament for me regardless of who is going to be across the net. Both of them are amazing players. They are in great form" Obviusly, Daniil won against me in the US Open finals a couple of years ago," Djokovic said after the win.
"Then you have Carlos. What he has achived as a 20-year-old is incredible and fantastic," he said while also adding that he would be watching the match. "It’s gonna be a great match for me to watch with my feet in the air, popcorn, and good drinks."
Novak Djokovic is aiming to win a record-extending 24th career Grand Slam title and the third this season after having won the Australian Open and the French Open.