Ben Shelton on Djokovic´s "Phone Call" Celebration "I DONT CARE!" - US Open 2023

relationships on a tremendous journey over the two weeks, if you could reflect on the game and the experience, yes, I think the two weeks as a whole were a good run for me, many of you know the positives that can be carry on for the rest of the year and start next year, it was a lot of fun to play my last Slam of the year here and do well in front of the American crowd, it was pretty special for me and yes, it was not the result I wanted in today's match um some things to be disappointed about and the result, but there's also a lot of positives to take um and uh yeah, I'm really looking forward to getting back to work and getting out again, congratulations once again on a great two week race, tremendous name and affiliation, be economical with your time while we have Chris back, congratulations on your

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er, Chris Auto is

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to talking to us about the positives.

I wonder if he can explain a little how. Can you learn and how can you grow from the experience of reaching the semi-finals and of course the experience today against one of the best to ever play the game? Yeah, I think I learned a lot about myself in these two weeks knowing how you know what I can do competitively on the tennis court because I think it's a very mental sport. I think it's a very important aspect and you know I found a place. where I can operate and still be calm and clear-headed, but be a fierce competitor and uh and uh, meet the guy I'm playing with at the same time and you really know I say this a lot with the people on my team, but I know a dog, he has a dog mentality, so I was very happy with the way I competed throughout the tournament.

Matt, yeah, hey, Ben, Matt Butterman for the New York Times, what do I mean? What was your meaning? of what was going on in the third set when you came in like that and turned it into a battle and then when it was over I'm curious what he did with your gesture and what you thought about it, yeah I mean with the roof closed there, It was loud, I mean, very loud and, you know, to be playing as the number two player in the world and to have so many people like me shouting, you know my name there, it was really cool. atmosphere and you could see some of the momentum changing and in the third set when I had a couple of breaks, so it was fun to be a part of that match and obviously it's hard not to get that set at the end of the set, but I mean.

Yeah, the American crowd really brought it, and to answer your second question, you know, yeah, I didn't see it until after the game, and you know, I don't like it when I'm on social media and I see people. telling me how I can celebrate or I can't celebrate, you know, I think if you win the game you deserve to do whatever you want, you know, as a kid, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So that's all I have to say about ESPN's Willie Weinburn. You talked about what you learned in general from this whole experience.

What's up today? What did you learn from Novak Djokovic and about Novak Djokovic? Yeah, you know, I learned that he's a guy that can compete at the highest level, you know, he has a similar mentality to me on the court, with how he wants to go after you and be aggressive and show the emotion of he. And I think it was really cool to see that matchup. for the first time and I hope to give it again, okay, David, I just want that when you have entered the court with certain expectations of what it would be like to face Novak Djokovic, you have been watching it on television for many How many years was it different? um, I don't know if it was different.

I mean, I tried to go into the game with a very

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mind, you know, it's like when I always saw him on TV, it was like he was a little kid, you know? that maybe I didn't even play tennis yet or I played a little bit of tennis but I played it for fun and I think I'm a completely different person now than I was then so honestly when I walked on the court I was not expecting anything so you know , the tape I watched of his last few games here and I went into the game like I was playing with any other player Cindy uh Ben Cindy Schmurler also from the New York Times.

You leave here and go to Vancouver for the Laver Cup. Can you talk about how important it is that you have been chosen for this high-level team and what your expectations are? Yes, I'm really excited. for the opportunity to play in the Laver Cup, you know, when the advert first came out. I see all these comments on Instagram. Oh, why did you accept it? I thought okay, I really have something to prove and I wanted to show people that maybe I deserve to be on a team or the people who said I didn't know they were proven wrong and I had a nice good

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er here and I'm happy to have been able to pass some people poorly, okay and your expectations go, sorry, I mean, I'm pretty excited about being a team environment, you know, I love those types of competitions, first, you know, the team tournament that I'll be part since I left university, so all the positive thoughts go to the Laver Cup and I'll be, you know, just as excited and emotional because I was here in Vancouver David, I'm sorry, I said David Ava Wallace The Washington Post um Ben, you had so many firsts this year, obviously it was your first year on tour and I know you're, um, your year isn't over. but I'm wondering in what ways you felt like you grew this year, maybe a couple things that stand out just in terms of being a tentative pro now, yeah, I definitely learned a lot of things, you know the list.

I could go on and on, going to so many different countries, you know, and playing on different surfaces and just being exposed to different things. I would say the most important thing I learned is that it is shaping me as a person. As we speak, you know the influence that professional athletes have in this scenario. You know that tennis is a huge sport, a world sport. It's a little crazy for me the first time I landed in Portugal for my first tournament in Europe. You know there were people at the game yelling my name or they knew who I was.

That was a little hard for me to believe, but I think it definitely made me think a little more about how I act on the court. What message? I know I'm giving and in my interviews the things that I say and uh because I think it's very helpful and I think a lot of people really listen to the things that you say and watch what you do Kurt Kurt Streeter of the New York Times the strength of your game is your service