Ben Shelton Wisely Ignores Novak Djokovic's Disrespectful Comments Ahead Of Probable Matchup At Australian Open

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Ben Shelton may only be 21-years-old, but he's showing that he's wise beyond his years. The American star isn't interested in handing Novak Djokovic any added motivation ahead of their likely matchup in the Australian Open.

While we're months removed from Djokovic's straight-set win over Shelton in the US Open semifinal, their match is very much a topic of conversation with the potential of another matchup on the horizon.

During the previous match in New York, Djokovic imitated Shelton's 'hang up the phone' celebration. After the match, Djokovic simply said he did the celebration because he thought it was "cool." He made it sound like it was almost a sign of respect, him doing Shelton's celebration, but apparently his stance on the situation has changed.

In an interview with L'Equipe over the weekend, Djokovic shared that he didn't think Shelton was behaving properly by doing the celebration claiming his imitation was "a reaction to a provocation."

Following his first-round win in Australia, Shelton was asked about Djokovic's comments. Just as he didn't take the bait from Djokovic at the US Open, he didn't take it this time around either.

"I don't really have anything else to say on the whole US Open situation," Shelton 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.”

While some young guns in tennis would lean into what appears to be a budding rivalry with Djokovic, Shelton shutting down the idea of getting into a war of words with the greatest tennis player ever is a wise move.

Shelton and Djokovic would meet up in the fourth round of the Aussie Open if they go on to win their next two matches in the tournament. It's safe to say all tennis fans are pulling for things to fall the right way to get to see these two take the court, and 'hang up' on one another yet again.

Follow Mark Harris on X @itismarkharris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.