A cheeky fella or a welcome diversion on the circuit? Shelton’s winning gesture stirs emotions!

American tennis player Ben Shelton is coming to the fore. The tennis player of the emerging generation is certainly putting in remarkable performances, but he can also impress in other ways. His winning gesture evokes great emotion.

This kid is never boring. The American Ben Shelton has also received praise from tennis legends. Australian Rod Laver is a case in point. He likes the American’s very strong left-handed serve. Shelton doesn’t make too many errors either.

Laver predicts Shelton will win the Grand Slam, among other things. The 21-year-old is now proving his worth at the Masters in Shanghai. There, he surprisingly enjoyed a victory against the world number four Italian Sinner.

The Atlanta native impressed not only with his tiebreak win in the deciding set, but also with his favourite winning gesture.

Disrespect or originality?

Opinions of the tennis public on the aforementioned gesture vary. A common view of the gesture with the hanging up of the phone is the criticism of disrespect. The gesture is considered to be insulting to the opponent.

Even Novak Djokovic has expressed his view on the matter. The world number one used this very gesture after his win over Shelton at this year’s US Open.

Another part of tennis fans, on the other hand, appreciates that finally someone stirred up the stagnant waters of the ATP tour, and not only with his performance on the court. A part of the fans recommends to take this Shelton celebration really as just a celebration without deeper subtext.

On the controversial issue, the tennis player himself revealed that he used the gesture to indicate that he was staying focused. He took it from his college teammate, athlete Grant Holloway.

Finally…

A storm in a glass of water? Maybe. On the other hand, it’s understandable that this particular gesture would provoke a disapproving reaction.

But the most important thing will be whether Shelton will be able to perform it after the upcoming quarterfinal derby against Korda. Or in more important duels in his budding career.

Source: Twitter/X, ATP, NYT