It's All Business: Ben Shelton reveals meaning of new celebration as successor to dialed in phone moment
ATP
Rising tennis star Ben Shelton has given some insight into his new "it's all business" celebration that was introduced after he won his maiden ATP title at the 2023 Japan Open.
The American defeated Aslan Karatsev in a thrilling finally, displaying his immense potential as he continues to make waves on the ATP circuit. Furthermore, Shelton unveiled a celebratory gesture, abandoning his controversial "dialed-in" celebration often used after his victories.
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Shelton reveals story behind new celebration
During the press conference after his historic title win, Shelton opened up about the meaning behind his new winning gesture.
"You know, this week, one of my friends here, [Mackenzie McDonald] was telling me about… he was like, ‘Yeah man, if you win, you should do this celebration where you act like you’re fixing your tie on your suit and hold a briefcase like, ‘It’s all business.’ So, I kinda did that a little bit after I shook hands with the ref,” said Shelton.
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The 21-year old also spoke about his 'dialed-in' celebration, who was broiled in controversy after Novak Djokovic mocked the American by replicating the gesture following the Serbian's victory after their 2023 US Open semifinal.
"I like to try to be original," explained Shelton. "I like to try to do different things on the court; be creative. That celebration was really cool and special for me because of what it meant to my friends back home,” he said, adding, “But yeah, I’m not really a guy who thinks about celebrations that I’m gonna do before I play. I think it’s like a spontaneous, in-the-moment thing.”
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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