48 Hours After Novak Djokovic’s Nasty Act, Roger Federer-Backed Ben Shelton’s Name Crosses Borders as Italian Tennis Legend Copies His Bold US Open Move

In tennis, rivalries burn bright and emotions run deep. Fabio Fognini, in a recent revelation, did the same. Just hours after a controversial move from Novak Djokovic, the Italian star joined hands with the Serbian as the two looked to give a clear message after their respective wins.

Novak, who played his semi-final match against Ben Shelton at the US Open, won the match comfortably and celebrated with a bold move. Recently, Fabio Fognini did the same as the Italian gave a clear message after being snubbed out. While both celebrations were a bit controversial, they sent out a strong message.

Fabio Fognini imitates Novak Djokovic in a bold maneuver

In an audacious move, Fabio Fognini decided to send a message to Italy’s Davis Cup Team Captain, Filippo Volandri, who left him out of the team in favor of Vavassori. Fognini had openly expressed his disappointment with the decision just days prior. Drawing inspiration from Novak Djokovic’s recent controversial celebration against Ben Shelton, Fognini decided to imitate the gesture to convey his frustration.

Fognini, who is currently playing in the Challenger Genoa, made his way into the finals of the tournament. After defeating Thiago Monteiro, 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets in the semi-finals, the Italian came up with the iconic phone drop celebration to take a dig at Volandri.

Fognini’s exclusion from the Davis Cup team had hit him deeply, as he had initially been called up, but was later replaced with Vavassori. This added further to Fognini’s frustration after a much-awaited return was canceled by the captain.

By imitating the Djokovic-Shelton celebration, Fognini gave a statement, suggesting that his exclusion was as shocking and unexpected as Djokovic’s recent actions on the court. It was a clear signal that he felt neglected and undervalued. However, all of this started when Novak Djokovic stunned the tennis world after he celebrated his victory at the US Open in a very peculiar manner.

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Djokovic imitated Ben Shelton’s celebration at the US Open: “I copied him”

In an intriguing semi-final encounter at the US Open, Novak Djokovic clashed against Ben Shelton. In a match that many anticipated going either way, it was Novak who had the final laugh. However, the main highlight of the match was not an ace or a slicing drop. It was Novak Djokovic’s celebration.

After winning his match, Novak Djokovic went ahead to copy Ben Shelton’s trademark ‘hang up the phone’ celebration. This move by the Serbian quickly came under fire as fans and experts from all around the world gathered to cast their opinions on this.

However, Novak has claimed he imitated the celebration move because he felt it was “very original” and not because he was trying to mock the American player. “I thought it was very original, and I copied him. I stole his celebration,” claimed the Serbinator.

While the younger player wasn’t successful in defeating Novak, his 143mph powerful second serve deserves a mention.

Shelton, who dearly admires Roger Federer, planned to leave his opponents scared of him. He shared this before his match against Djokovic. He wants to scare his opponents like “Roger in his prime.” In addition to this, Shelton also has a deal with ‘On’. It is the same brand that Roger Federer owns a 3% stake in. Thus, the young player seems to be following his idol’s steps.

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