Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic recently engaged in a heated match at the US Open and they may meet again at the 2023 Paris Masters. The match was extremely exciting, even though Djokovic technically won; both players had many memorable moments. However, what happened after the match captured the attention of many, as Djokovic used Shelton’s post-match celebration, which caused some controversy as he doesn’t usually do that.
Nick Kyrgios defended it, but others claimed it was meant to send a message that many fans didn’t agree with. After the game, Shelton dismissed it, saying that his father didn’t think the same thing, despite his own assessment.
In a post-match interview, Shelton’s father claimed that his son was being made fun of, which fueled the fire even more. Things eventually ended, but a fresh conflict between them may occur in Paris.
They both are in the same part of the draw, which was recently held. With a first-round bye, Djokovic will begin in the second round; however, if he advances to the third round, he may come up against Shelton.
The American will need to win two games to advance, but given his current tennis play, that is definitely possible. That being said, there is fierce competition to make it to the third round.
Shelton was recently spotted working out hard in preparation for the crucial matches he will be competing in in the upcoming tournament in Paris.
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Ben Shelton in 2023
Ranked world no.15 (career-high), Shelton played his last match on the 25th of October when he lost to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 7-6(2) 7-5 in the 1st round in Vienna (draw).
During this season Ben has achieved a composed 28-25 match record. This year, the American conquered 1 title in Tokyo.
He is also scheduled to play in Sofia (Sofia Open) after Paris. The main draw will start on the 30th of October.
Novak Djokovic in 2023
WWWWLWWLWL Currently the world no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 15th of September when he beat world no.26 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-4 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
At present, during this year Novak has managed to achieve an overall 46-5 win-loss record. The Serbian clinched 5 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati and U.S. Open. Djokovic got to the final in Wimbledon.
Djokovic has scheduled to play next in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 30th of October.
Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic squared off just 1 time. Their record is 1-0 for Djokovic. When they played, Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-2 7-6(4) in the semifinal in New York (U.S. Open) on the 8th of September 2023.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
