“It starts being annoying,” Has Novak Djokovic really buried the hatchet on Ben Shelton’s US Open behavior? Here’s what he told the press

Novak Djokovic explains his stance regarding Ben Shelton being too aggressive and provocative in court.

“It starts being annoying,” Has Novak Djokovic really buried the hatchet on Ben Shelton’s US Open behavior? Here’s what he told the press

Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton (image via: Imago)

The spat between Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic doesn’t seem to take a halt anytime soon. This incident started during the US Open last year when the two faced off against each other in the semi-finals of the tournament. 

It ended with a comfortable three-set victory for the Serb. However, after he clinched the match, Djokovic celebrated the win by mimicking Ben Shelton’s celebration.

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As far as Shelton's level of confidence and coming out, I don't mind that actually at all. I think it's great. You got to believe. I'm all for that. I support 100% a young player coming out on the court, like Prizmic did the other night against me, and Shelton is doing coming out believing in his capabilities that he can challenge the best players in the world.
Nole said in the AO presser

This caused a flurry of different reactions on social media. Even before the Australian Open, in an interview with L’Equipe, Nole accused Ben Shelton of being provocative and disrespectful before the match. He further explained his stance after the last match regarding the behavior of Shelton. 

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I don't dislike that at all. But there is obviously some kind of line, non-visible line, of acceptable behavior I guess towards the other player. If a player steps over that line, then obviously it starts being annoying.
Continuing further, he added

No ‘Ben Shelton vs. Novak Djokovic’ in the fourth round of the Australian Open

After the spat between the two, everyone was waiting for the meetup between them at the Australian Open. 

Novak Djokovic explains his stance regarding Ben Shelton being too aggressive and provocative in the court.
Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton (image via: Tennis Majors)

However, the match is not on the cards, as Shelton lost to Adrian Mannarino in the third round. Shelton started strongly, winning two of the first three sets. The Frenchman then came back superbly to win the next two sets and clinch the match. 

Djokovic advances to the fourth round after a win against Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Both Djokovic and Mannarino will be up against each other on Sunday.

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