"It's kind of like I'm saying I'm dialed in" - Ben Shelton explains post-match celebration after sealing SF spot vs Novak Djokovic at US Open 2023
Ben Shelton has disclosed the meaning behind his post-match celebration following his win against Frances Taifoe in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open.
On Tuesday, September 5, Shelton defeated Tiafoe to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. The young American saved a set point in the third set en route to a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 win.
As he celebrated the win after the match, Ben Shelton made a gesture mimicking the act of speaking on the phone and then hanging up. At the post-match press conference, the 19-year-old explained that it was him letting everyone know that he was "dialed in."
"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. That's what it is for me," he said.
Shelton added that the inspiration behind the celebration was American track and field athlete Grant Holloway. Holloway is a three-time world champion and an Olympic silver medalist.
"The first time that I really saw it (the celebration) is, I'm really close friends with a lot of track and field athletes who train at the University of Florida where I live in Gainesville," Ben Shelton explained.
"One in particular, Grant Holloway, who's won the World Championships I think three times in a row now, that's kind of his signature thing. He loves doing this when he wins, and a lot of other athletes on the team kind of started doing it after too," he added.
"He just won the World Championships, so congrats to him. Give him a little shout-out when I do this. Something that connects me to my friends back home," Shelton went on.
"I think the mental [aspect] has improved more than the physical" - Ben Shelton on his first full season on ATP tour
At the end of last year, Ben Shelton, the 2022 NCAA singles national champion, decided to forgo his final two years of collegiate eligibility and turn pro. He turned heads with his performance at the 2023 Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.
The youngster, however, ran out of steam in his last-eight match against Tommy Paul, losing 6-7 (6), 3-6, 7-5, 4-6.
Eight months later, he showed tremendous improvement in his physical levels to win a hard-fought quarterfinal match against Frances Tiafoe and reach the semifinals of the US Open.
After his win over Tiafoe, Shelton was asked to compare his physical fitness during his current run in New York with his performance at the Melbourne Major. He replied that while his fitness has improved a lot, he has also become mentally stronger over the last few months.
"I think the fitness has definitely improved a lot but I think the mental has improved more than the physical. There's plenty of times where I could have gone over to my box today and said, 'Guys, I'm cooked. Like, I'm tired. I don't know if I can go anymore'. Instead I told myself, I'm fine and he's feeling it too," he opined.
"I think being able to flip it in your head is more than half the battle. I think I've definitely made some strides physically being out on tour a full year and playing a lot of matches and just being on the court more, working hard in the gym. My fitness levels have surely improved, and I think all that together is kind of what happened today," he added.
Ben Shelton will take on 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic for a place in the US Open final.