American tennis player Ben Shelton would not be drawn when pressed on Monday about his ongoing feud with Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic made headlines during the US Open last year when he mimed answering and hanging up a phone — the exact gesture Shelton, then 20, had made his own in his breakout tournament.
Asked about it after beating Shelton, Djokovic was coy on the matter, giving a diplomatic answer that clearly masked something more at play.
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“I just love Ben’s celebration,” Djokovic told reporters with a telling grin afterwards.
“I thought it was very original, and I copied him. I stole his celebration.”
Shelton said he did not see Djokovic’s move at the time and added he would never tell another player how to celebrate.
“I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want,” the American said last September.
“You know, as a kid growing up, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so that’s all I have to say about that.”
Asked about it again during the Australian Open, four months after the original incident, Djokovic was far more revealing about the matter, admitting it was a clear retaliation.
“This is my reaction to a provocation that came from the other side (of the net); it was a reaction against him,” the Serbian told L’Equipe.
“He did not behave properly, with respect, on court, and before the match.
“I’m never going to make fun of someone if they don’t do something first. Every time I lose I always give my opponent a hug, I congratulate him, I respect him and his team.
“If anyone one places himself in the ‘unsportsmanlike zone’, I react.”
Speaking after his first-round Australian Open win over Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, Shelton, now 21, shut down when asked for his response to Djokovic’s claims.
A reported specifically asked if it was a locker room issue, or if the pair “had words” with each other.
“I don’t really have anything else to say on the whole US Open situation,” Shelton flatly said.
“I feel like I’ve been asked about it constantly in the last four or five months.
“I feel like I’ve said my peace on the matter. I would rather just let it settle and move forward. We’re in Australia now, and we’re at the Australian Open and not at the US Open anymore, so I’m just focusing on the Australian Open and happy and grateful to be here.”
Pressed further on why Djokovic might have taken umbrage to the way he carries himself on the court, Shelton said he was none the wiser.
“I feel like I enjoy myself out on the tennis court,” he said.
“Everyone can have their opinion on who I am or how I act, but, yeah, I don’t know… I don’t really have an answer to your question.”