“More people spoke about the celebration than the match” – Nick Kyrgios reacts to Ben Shelton’s dad claiming Novak Djokovic mocked his son at US Open

Nick Kyrgios has rubbished Ben Shelton's father Bryant's claims over Novak Djokovic's 'dial-in' celebration during the US Open earlier this month.

Shelton had marked his US Open quarterfinal victory over compatriot Frances Tiafoe with a 'dial-in' celebration. Later, Djokovic imitated the American after downing him in the semifinal on Friday, September 8. The Serb's action evidently angered Shelton's father Bryant.

In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Bryant claimed that the Serb copied his son's gesture only to ridicule him.

“He wants to be loved so much, Novak... 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,” Bryant said.

Nick Kyrgios, known for his brash antics both on and off the court, took to social media to share his opinion on Bryant's claims.

"So what?!?!? Sport is entertainment. We aren't robots. More people spoke about the celebration than the match," the Australian wrote.

Shelton, however, wasn't apparently pissed with the Serb copying him. After being asked to weigh in on it during the post-match press conference on Friday, the American said:

“I don’t like when I’m on social media, and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can’t celebrate. If you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want.

"You know, 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."

Novak Djokovic, too, asserted that he did it just because he liked it.

“I just love Ben's celebration. I thought it was very original, and I copied him. I stole his celebration,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion said during his post-match press conference.

Novak Djokovic has not been defeated by an American player since 2016 Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning the US Open.

The last time an American tennis player defeated Novak Djokovic was in 2016 at the Wimbledon Championship. Sam Querrey beat the top seed in the third round at SW19.

Since then, the Serb has outperformed every American he faced on the court. During the recently concluded US Open, he downed Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton to extend his dominance over the Yankees.

The 36-year-old met Fritz in the quarterfinals. He defeated the 25-year-old in straight sets comfortably. Djokovic then went on to crush Shelton in the semifinal en route to his fourth triumph at Flushing Meadows. Currently, the Serb is 31-0 against American players since his loss to Querrey.