Hang on, or hang up? For the Italian tennis sensation Jannik Sinner, it’s a bit of both. What could be more satisfying for the World No. 1 than advancing to the quarterfinals of the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam at Wimbledon? For Sinner, it’s not just about progressing through the rounds; it’s about a continuous quest to avenge the iconic celebration that Ben Shelton pulled off last year. While Sinner might have forgotten his opponent’s gesture, his fans have not.

Jannik Sinner defeated his in-form American opponent Ben Shelton in straight sets. The Italian whisked the dangerous 14th seed Ben Shelton away with scores of 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(9) to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the third consecutive year. While he is the first Italian man to make it to the last eight three times, his win brought ecstasy to his fans, who seemed to allude to Ben Shelton’s past celebration as a form of reply.

Jannik Sinner’s fans were seen making a gesture that resembled hanging up a phone. While this could have been a simple post-match jibe, it holds more significance as it seems to avenge a similar celebration from Ben Shelton, which he performed against several players in 2023, including the Italian dynamo himself.

The beginning of this ‘dialed-in’ controversy dates back to the 2023 US Open. The 2022 NCAA singles champion pulled off an intriguing landline phone celebration against Frances Tiafoe after defeating him in the quarterfinals of the grand tournament. Waiting for him in the semifinals was the Serbian tennis legend, Novak Djokovic, who seemed to respond to the young player for his “unsportsmanlike” act. After defeating the American in the semifinals, Nole was spotted copying the same gesture that became the talk of the tennis town. However, this did not stop Shelton from performing the same gesture against Sinner later that year.

After defeating the now World No. 1 in the round of 16 at the Shanghai Masters in October, Shelton copied the same gesture. Now, as the Italian giant has defeated the 21-year-old three times in a row, his fans could not control their excitement and responded to the budding star with his own gesture. Shelton had earlier miffed the tennis community with such a celebration and drew flak from the likes of Novak Djokovic.

Speaking to L’Equippe, Nole justified his US Open act. “It was a reaction against him, he did not behave properly, with respect, on court, and before the match. If anyone places himself in the unsportsmanlike zone, I react.” Meanwhile, the Italian star is happy to have achieved this remarkable win over Shelton. 

‘A very tough match…’ Jannik Sinner’s true admission about his win over Ben Shelton

Jannik Sinner dominated the match in the first two sets against the American tennis star, winning them 6-2, 6-4. Eventually, Shelton made a comeback, posing serious difficulties for the World No. 1 in the third set.

After retrieving the break, Sinner thrilled the crowd at 4-5, 40/30 in the third set with an improvised forward-facing tweener half-volley off a perfect return from Shelton. The Italian eventually won the point but acknowledged the challenges in the post-match interview. “A very tough match, especially the third set,” said Sinner, who will play the Russian Daniil Medvedev next. “These kind of matches, they can go very long. I’m very happy to close it in three.”

Continuing further, he emphasized the role of luck as well. “That was just luck! There’s nothing to talk. I don’t know. Sometimes… I don’t know what to say, honestly!”As the tournament continues, it will be fascinating to see if he can maintain his winning streak and clinch the grass-court slam for the first time in his career.