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 quarter-finals 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 clearly not!
Jannik Sinner defeated his in-form American opponent Ben Shelton in straight sets The Italian whisked the dangerous 14th seed Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(9) to reach the quarter-finals 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 came as an ecstasy to his fans who seemed to allude to Ben Shelton’s past celebration and give him a reply.
Jannik Sinner’s fans were spotted in a gesture that resembled hanging up a phone. While this could have been a simple jibe after the match, it holds more importance as it seems to revenge a similar celebration from Ben Shelton that he did against several players in 2023, including the Italian dynamo himself.
The beginning of this ‘dialed in’ controversy can be dated back to the 2023 US Open. The 2022 NCAA singles champion pulled out an intriguing landline phone celebration against Frances Tiafoe after defeating him in the quarterfinals of the grand tournament. Waiting for him in the Semi-finals 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 semi-finals, Nole was spotted copying the same gesture that became the talk of the tennis town. However, this did not stop Shelton from pulling out the same gesture against Sinner in the same year.
Did Ben Shelton’s infamous gesture against Djokovic cross the line? React!
After defeating the now World No. 1 in the semi-finals of 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 failed to control their excitement and respond to the budding star in his own gesture. Shelton had earlier miffed the tennis community with such a celebration and drew flaks from the likes of Novak Djokovic.
Speaking to L’Equippe, Nole had 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 achieve this remarkable win over Shelton.
‘A very tough match…’ Jannik Sinner’s true admission about his win over Ben Shelton
Jannik Sinner was all in the match in the first two sets against the American tennis star, having won them 6-2, 6-4. Eventually, Shelton was seen making a comeback and posing serious difficulties ahead of 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 did not fail to acknowledge 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 luck factor 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 rages on, it will be fascinating to see if he can continue his winning streak and clinch the grass-court slam for the first time in his career.
