Nick Kyrgios Explains Why He Loves The Ben Shelton - Novak Djokovic Celebration Drama

The drama involving 21-year-old Ben Shelton and arguably the greatest tennis player to ever live, Novak Djokovic, simply won't go away, and Nick Kyrgios thinks that's a good thing.

The controversy involving the young American and Djokovic stems from the 2023 US Open when the Serb took down Shelton in straight sets in their semifinal match. After earning the win, Djokovic imitated Shelton’s ‘hang up the phone’ celebration. Asked why he decided to do so, Djokovic said he thought it was a "cool" celebration and made it sound as if he showing Shelton respect in a roundabout way.

Fast forward to today, over six months since their match, and Djokovic's stance on the celebration 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.”

Shelton has wisely stayed away from the drama at the Australian Open after being asked about the new comments.

While Shelton doesn't seem interested in taking the bait, Kyrgios is all in on the drama surrounding both players, and for good reason.

“I love it. Ben is one of the more exciting personalities we have in the sport, and he’s going to take the game a long way. A big American server, who’s got a lot of personality, and that celebration was cold, I’m not going to lie, against Tiafoe at the US Open," Kyrgios told Eurosport.

“But then my boy Djokovic took it a step further and did it to the guy who did it first. I loved it, I watched the video so many times, I think it’s hilarious."

“If it gets eyes on the sport, and it’s not too crazy, I’m all for it, but I like it, I love it, and whenever they next play, we’ll all be tuning in, which is the most important part."

Kyrgios has certainly drawn eyeballs to the sport with his freakish ability on the court and one-of-a-kind personality.

As for when Shelton and Djokovic will take the court against one another again, we may not have to wait long at all. The two are likely going to meet in the fourth round of the Australian Open with Shelton already punching his ticket to the third round and Djokovic playing his second-round match early Wednesday morning.