"Just wow" - Tennis influencer Rachel Stuhlmann fumes at Novak Djokovic for copying Ben Shelton’s celebration after US Open SF win over American

Tennis influencer Rachel Stuhlmann has expressed her anger at Novak Djokovic’s imitation of Ben Shelton’s phone celebration after beating him in the US Open semifinals.

Djokovic and Shelton faced each other for the first time on Friday, September 8. The match was expected to be a one-sided affair, as the Serb had won 23 Grand Slam titles and was chasing his fourth US Open title whereas the American was a 20-year-old newcomer who had never reached a Major semifinal before.

Shelton has recently developed a signature celebration, where he pretends to pick up a phone and hang up, which he used after his quarterfinal win over compatriot Frances Tiafoe.

Djokovic dominated the semifinal match from the beginning, winning the first two sets 6-3, 6-2. Shelton fought back in the third set, saving a match point and forcing a tiebreak. But the Serb prevailed 7-6(7-4), sealing his 10th US Open final appearance.

The match ended with Shelton hitting the ball into the net, and Djokovic seemingly taunting him by mimicking his phone call celebration.

Stuhlmann took to Twitter (now X) to express her displeasure with the World No. 2’s gesture on Saturday, September 9. She captioned her tweet with two angry emojis and wrote:

“Wow. Just wow😡🤬.”

Stuhlmann, who has been dubbed the 'World’s No. 1 tennis influencer' by Maxim magazine, is a former NCAA Division I collegiate tennis player and a passionate fan of the sport. She has amassed a large following on Instagram, where she posts glamorous photos and videos of herself on and off the court.

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"I just love Ben's celebration. I thought it was very original" - Novak Djokovic jokes about copying Ben Shelton's celebration

Western & Southern Open - Day 1

In his post-match press conference, Novak Djokovic explained why he decided to use Shelton’s celebration after beating him in the semifinal.

"I just love Ben's celebration. I thought it was very original, and I copied him. I stole his celebration," the World No. 2 said.

Ben Shelton also commented on the 36-year-old's gesture and said that he had no issue with it.

"I didn't see it until after the match. You know, I don't like when I'm on social media and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can't celebrate. You know, I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want," Ben Shelton said.

"You know, as a kid growing up, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so that's all I have to say about that," he added.

Novak Djokovic will face third seed Danill Medvedev in the final of the 2023 US Open on Monday, September 11. The Russian recently stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set thriller in the semifinals on Saturday.