Emma Raducanu reposts Djokovic statement phone down celebration after US Open Shelton win

Emma Raducanu reposted a photo of Novak Djokovic's celebration after defeating Ben Shelton at the 2023 US Open.

The 20-year-old British tennis player has been absent from the WTA tour since she played at the Stuttgart Open in mid-April (where she lost to Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-1). Raducanu later announced her tour hiatus due to wrist injuries that required surgery.

Despite not competing, Raducanu continues to follow the events of the 2023 US Open, the tournament that propelled her into the global tennis spotlight after unexpectedly winning the trophy coming from the qualifying rounds without dropping a set.

Following Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton's semifinal, the 23-time Grand Slam champion celebrated his victory in a similar fashion to Shelton, making a phone gesture, a theme widely discussed on social media.

Raducanu herself reposted a post from the official US Open account showing Djokovic making the gesture, although she didn't include any text when sharing it on her Instagram stories.

Djokovic's triumph brought him to the impressive total of 36 Grand Slam finals in 72 participations, meaning that he has reached the final in 50% of the majors he has entered.

In the title match, Djokovic will face the Russian world No. 3, Daniil Medvedev, who surprised everyone by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals and will be playing his 5th Grand Slam final, although he has only one title, the 2021 US Open, where he defeated the same Novak Djokovic, who was on a 27-0 streak in major tournaments this year and had the chance to secure the annual Grand Slam.

Returning to Raducanu, the young prodigy is currently ranked world No. 195. Therefore, she will need to seek wildcards in the tournaments she wishes to compete in upon her return. It's been nearly a month since youngstar shared that she was returning to training and hitting balls, albeit at a gentle pace. However, it is unknown when she will compete again, most likely in 2024.