Novak Djokovic of Serbia hands a microphone to Jim Courier after his match against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic during their fourth-round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
MELBOURNE, Australia – Novak Djokovic refused to give a regular post-match television interview at the Australian Open following his victory on Sunday night to protest comments made on air by someone who works for the broadcaster. tournament official in the host country.
Djokovic said he wants an apology from Channel 9 and Tony Jones, who called the 24-time Grand Slam champion overrated and a failure during an on-air appearance at Melbourne Park, where a crowd of the player’s supporters were chanting.
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Djokovic, a 37-year-old Serbian, did not name Jones, but said that a “famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel 9… mocked Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me.” .
READ: Australian Open: Djokovic advances to the closing quarters vs Alcaraz
Djokovic said he will continue to avoid speaking to the network.
“I let Channel 9 handle this as they see fit. That’s it,” Djokovic said.
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Djokovic later posted a message on X reiterating why he refused to speak. That prompted a response from billionaire X owner Elon Musk, who said, “It’s much better to talk directly to the public than to go through the legacy media’s filter of negativity.”
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Djokovic responded to Musk’s tweet with “Indeed,” followed by a raised hand emoji.
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After beating Jiri Lehecka in three sets at the Rod Laver Environment to reach the quarterfinals, Djokovic was expected to speak to former player Jim Courier on television. Instead, Djokovic held the microphone and told the crowd: “Thank you very much for being here tonight. I appreciate your presence and support. I’ll see you in the next round. Thank you so much.”
Later in his press conference, Djokovic began with a statement, telling reporters why he didn’t do the interview and clarifying that he was upset about Jones and the broadcaster, not Courier or the fans in the stadium.
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He said he also spoke to Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, about the issue.
“I just wanted to make sure he knew where I stood and the reasons behind it,” Djokovic said. “So I told him, ‘If you want to fine me for not doing an on-court interview, that’s fine.’ I will accept it because I feel that this is something that needs to be done. That’s all there is to it.”
In a statement on Monday, 9 Community apologized to Djokovic “for any offense caused by comments made during a recent live match.”
READ: Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to victory at the Australian Open
“No harm was intended to Novak or his followers,” the statement continued. “We hope to continue showing his campaign at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.”
Jones appeared on Right Now on Monday to apologize and said he referred to the comments as “jokes.”
“I considered it humor, which is consistent with most of the things I do,” he said. “That said, I was informed… that the Djokovic camp was not at all happy with those comments.
“I immediately contacted Djokovic’s camp and apologized to them. And as I stand here now, I stand by that apology to Novak.”
Jones also apologized to Serbian fans who did not interpret his comments as humorous.
“I feel like I have let down the Serbian fans,” he said. “I’m not saying this just to try to get out of trouble or anything like that. “I really feel for those fans.”
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“So, I can only tell Novak again what I told him 48 hours ago. And I apologize if you felt that I disrespected you.”
