Novak Djokovic beat Ben Shelton to get into another US Open final. After the last point, he made fun of his young opponent by doing the same thing he did when he won the match.
As he won the first two sets against the young American with the strong serve, the 23-time Grand Slam winner looked like he was on his way to an easy victory.
But in the third set, Shelton started to hit harder, and the New York crowd cheered for the hometown hero, pushing Djokovic all the way to the end.
The cheers for Shelton seemed to bother Djokovic. The American crowd went too far when they cheered Djokovic’s missed first serves and rare mistakes.
Still, he won in the tie-break to win 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4), and he didn’t look too happy when he copied Shelton’s habit of putting down his phone when he wins a match.
Shelton’s reaction after beating Frances Tiafoe in the last round has been called “too cocky,” and Djokovic was quick to tell him that he still has a long way to go before he can fight with the best players.
After the game, Djokovic didn’t show much feeling and had a hard look on his face as he briefly shook hands with Shelton.
He then did an interview after the game and seemed to forgive the fans for being loud during the game.
“You guys were amazing, thanks for coming out,” he told the huge crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. “These are the kinds of games and events that make me happy. I’m still excited by that.
“The most important things in our sport are Grand Slams,” he said. “Today was going great, but he came back, and at the end of the third set, anyone could have won.”We all like to play in a setting like this, so I’m really glad we won today.”
Now, Djokovic needs one more win to get his 24th major title and pass Ken Rosewall as the oldest winner in the Open era. Rosewall won the title in 1970 when he was 35 years old.
Djokovic said, “Look, these are the kinds of games and events that still make me want to wake up every day and work hard.
“Grand Slams are the most important and meaningful to me. It’s never easy to play an American player, so I had to keep my cool. At the end of the third set, anyone could have won. I’m very happy with today’s win.”
Djokovic said about his next US Open final, “I expect the toughest match of the tournament, no matter who is on the other side of the net.”I’ve done a lot, but I still feel like I have more to give. I feel like I still have something to offer the sport.”
With Shelton’s loss, America will have to wait at least another year for its first home-grown men’s winner since Andy Roddick in 2003.
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