"Novak Djokovic gave this kid a career and he's milking it" - Ben Shelton recreating phone celebration after Shanghai Masters 4R win displeases fans

Ben Shelton defeated World No. 4 Jannik Sinner in hard-fought fashion during their Round-of-16 match in Shanghai, overcoming a set deficit to register a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) win. Following his victory, the 21-year-old brought back his signature 'dialed-in' celebration, much to the annoyance of a few tennis fans.

Shelton's celebration had first become notorious during his last-four clash against Novak Djokovic at the US Open last month. The American, on his part, had been celebrating his match wins before the semifinal by pretending to pick up a phone before hanging it up.

The Serb proceeded to beat Ben Shelton in straight sets, following which he mimicked the promising American's celebration. This move apparently didn't sit well with the 21-year-old's camp. Shelton's father Bryan even went as far as to claim back then that mocking young players didn't bode well for Djokovic's legacy.

While the controversy surrounding the dialed-in celebration had settled a few days later, the World No. 20's reaction to his win over Sinner certainly brought it back to the tennis community's attention.

A large section of fans were unimpressed with the celebration rearing its face once again. One Novak Djokovic fan even suggested that Ben Shelton was trying to "milk" the publicity that he had received after the Serb seemingly mocked his antics in New York.

"Djokovic gave this kid a career and he's milking it out to the last," the fan wrote.

Another fan, meanwhile, asserted that the American's celebration had become "a bit cringe".

"It’s getting a bit cringe now mate @BenShelton," they wrote.

Here are a few more reactions:

Ben Shelton has exceeded expectations in his first full season on the ATP tour

Ben Shelton hits a forehand during his Round-of-16 match at the 2023 Shanghai Masters

Ben Shelton has enjoyed a respectable season in 2023, considering it is his first full season on the men's tour. Having turned pro last year, the American has won 21 of his 42 matches — the highlights of which include reaching the last four at the 2023 US Open and the last eight at the 2023 Australian Open.

By virtue of his strong results at the Majors, Shelton has made a rapid surge in the ATP rankings. The 21-year-old started his 2023 season well outside of the ATP top 50 rankings, but worked hard to ensure he reached a new career-high ranking of 19 in September.

It should be noted, however, that the promising American has struggled to string together back-to-back victories on the ATP tour thus far. The only tournaments where he won more than one match were: the 2023 US Open, the 2023 Australian Open and the ongoing Shanghai Masters.

Shelton has had a good run in Shanghai, though, beating Jannik Sinner, Roman Safiullin and Jaume Munar to reach his first-ever quarterfinals at an ATP Masters 1000 event. He will next face fellow American Sebastian Korda for a place in the semifinals of the tournament.