The cold call behind the Open’s biggest grudge match - Novak Djokovic versus Ben Shelton

The cold call behind the Australian Open’s biggest grudge match that moved closer to an on-court showdown on Monday.

Ben Shelton celebrates after victory against Roberto Bautista Agut at Melbourne Park on Monday Picture: AFP

Ben Shelton versus Novak Djokovic is the best and biggest stink in tennis. Neither gentleman has behaved or spoken unreasonably.

It’s Shelton’s father who’s highlighted yet again why sporting parents should keep their bibs out of it. The cause of the kerfuffle is spectacularly trivial and immature – which just makes the stink even better.

There’s such a nice ring to it. If you’re not dialled in to the drama, feistiness called at last year’s US Open. Shelton beat compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the quarter-finals. He’s a fiery young American fond of sleeveless muscle shirts, serves with more spin than a willy-willy, flexing his biceps and screaming himself hoarse after winning important points.

Benny’s got some jets. He rarely does a c’mon! He prefers a simple, yeah! He celebrated against Tiafoe by placing an imaginary phone to his ear and mouthing the mouthed words, what? What? Then he slammed the phone down.

I thought the gesture meant, conversation’s over. Game, set, match. Thanks for coming, we’re done. That sort of stuff.

He claimed: “For me, it’s kind of like I’m saying, ‘I’m dialled in’. That’s what it is for me.”

I’m unsure how many 21-year-olds are familiar with the landline Shelton appeared to be using. No matter. He was put on hold by Djokovic in the semi-finals.

Shelton really is a heck of a player, an extroverted, confrontational left-hander with explosive power and antagonistic behaviour cultivated on the over-the-top American college scene, where you win a point and react like it’s a Superbowl touchdown.

Big Ben’s 193cm and 88kg, and big Ben’s got a big game, but ­Djokovic beat him in straight sets before marking the moment with his own put-down-the-phone ­commemoration.

“I thought it was very original and I copied him,” Djokovic grinned. “So, I stole his ­celebration.”

Shelton had actually taken the idea from Florida’s track-and-field athlete Grant Holloway, a world champion hurdler.

Asked if he was offended by Djokovic copying him, Shelton replied: “I don’t like when I’m on social media and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can’t celebrate. I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want.

“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.”

All good in the hood. On both sides. Harmless fun. No personal insults were traded, neither player sounded angry. It whets the appetite for future encounters.

Every time they played, the winner could dial in the result, right? Yeah! Then Shelton’s father and coach, Bryan, took it upon himself to make it personal.

“He wants to be loved so much, Novak,” Shelton Sr told GQ magazine. “He wanted to mock Ben at the end. It wasn’t something he was doing just to copy Ben. It was to mock him, and that’s too bad, for that to come from such a great champion.”

What? What? Bryan Shelton was criticising Djokovic for doing the exact celebration his son had done. A nonsensical hang-up. Tone-deaf.

If Ben took offence, you would have thought he’d be grown up enough to say it himself.

I doubt Bryan has done Ben any favours by poking the bear. Djokovic left a voicemail for the Sheltons via L’Equipe magazine on the eve of the Australian Open, saying his celebration in New York was more than fun, games and flattery of the young American after all.

“This is my reaction to a provocation that came from the other side, it was a reaction against him,” he said. “He did not behave properly, with respect, on court, and before the match. I’m never going to make fun of someone if they don’t do something first. Every time I lose I always give my opponent a hug. I congratulate him. I respect him and his team. If anyone places himself in the unsportsmanlike zone, I react.”

Their next clash will be a doozy. They have each other’s name and number. The top-seeded Djokovic and 16th-seeded Shelton are slated to meet in round four at Melbourne Park. Their showdown looking in jeopardy when Shelton started slowly on Monday against Robert Bautista Agut of Spain. He was playing more like Ben Elton. What? What? He found a decent connection to post a commanding 6-2 7-6 (7/2) 7-5 win. Smoked 53 winners. Unless I imagined it, Shelton screamed a madcap “Vamos!” en route to defeating the Spaniard.

He won with a booming forehand. Put a finger to his ear, but no fake phone. A bloke in the crowd on 1573 Arena shouted, “Pick up the phone, Ben!” He declined.

Shelton versus Djokovic would create a wild old atmosphere inside Rod Laver Arena. The joint would be ringing off the hook. Certain players think tennis should ditch the requirement for everyone to be seated and quiet between points. Tiafoe is among those who would prefer a football-style audience of non-stop talking, cheering, chanting and movement. Djokovic ain’t so sure. Hold the phone on that one.

“Tiafoe is one of the players that was saying we should let people, like in other sports, freely walk and talk during matches,” he said. “It’s hard, I must say. I understand and I support it to some extent, but at the same time all my career, all my life I’ve been used to a certain kind of atmosphere. When that changes, it kind of messes it up, distracts you a bit. I’m kind of divided between the two, in a way.”

The fine print to the Shelton-Djokovic stink is that the American is a threat to the Serb. A game this powerful can beat anyone. The willy-willy serve is a handful. The forehand packs the heat of a major-league pitcher’s fastball. There’s no weaknesses except relative inexperience. His charisma is tailor-made for showcourts. “I want to be the dude in the draw that there’s not one player who wants to see me,” Shelton has told Tiafoe in a podcast called All On The Table. “Bro, I’m talkin’ scared of me. Like, genuine, Roger (Federer) in his prime. I want to be one of those guys where you’re scared of the type of animal they are.”