Sports commentator Tony Jones and Channel Nine have apologised to tennis star Novak Djokovic, after Jones joked on air that Djokovic was “overrated”, a “has been” and that Australia should “kick him out”
Following a triumphant feat against Czech’s Jiří Lehečka on Sunday, the World No. 7 snubbed Channel Nine’s coverage of the Australian Open by refusing to participate in an on-court interview.
After boycotting the official Australian Open broadcaster, Djokovic revealed that he would not be speaking to Channel Nine until he had received a public apology for the on-air comments Tony Jones made about him a few days prior.
“I just want to take a moment to reflect on what happened on the court. The reason why I did not do an interview that is a common practice after the matches for the winner to do a post-match interview. So just wanted to make sure that I clarify with everyone what happened,” Djokovic began in a video to X, formerly Twitter.
A few words about what happened on court. pic.twitter.com/jRof2npiwH
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 19, 2025
“The reason why I chose not to do that is because a few days ago, a famous sports journalist here from Australia who works for a main broadcaster of the Australian Open at Channel Nine decided to mock Serbian fans, and he made insulting and offensive comments towards me, so I was hoping he’s going to apologise in public, which he hasn’t done yet, neither did the Channel Nine.
“It was quite awkward on the court.”
What did Tony Jones say about Novak Djokovic?
During a live cross of the Australian Open on Friday, a large number of Serbian fans rallied behind Jones, showcasing their support for Djokovic.
In response, Jones turned around to say Djokovic was “overrated”, a “has been” and to “kick him out”.
Novak Djokovic explained in his press conference that he didn’t want to talk to host broadcaster Channel 9, probably because of what happened here two days ago. pic.twitter.com/YxZFu7MX9R
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 19, 2025
Channel Nine and Tony Jones apologise to Novak Djokovic
Hours after Djokovic publicly called out Jones, the sports journalist apologised for his remarks, revealing that it was his attempt at “banter”.
“I considered it to be humour, which is consistent with most things I do,” Jones said, per The Guardian Australia.
“Having said that, I was made aware on the Saturday morning from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments.
“As such, I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them. And as I stand here now, I stand by that apology to Novak … I do apologise if he felt that I disrespected him.”
Along with his apology to the tennis pro, Jones also apologised to the Serbian fans he heckled, stating he “overstepped the mark” with his final comment, which was linked to when he was deported from the country before the 2022 Australian Open for violating COVID-19 rules.
“Now I can stand here and put whatever spin I want on that, but it can only be interpreted as a throwback to the Covid years when he was kicked out [of Australia],” he continued.
“Now that that has angered Novak, which I completely understand now.
“[The Serbian fans] come here with the flags and they provide so much colour and so much passion and there was banter, so I thought what I was doing was an extension of that banter. Quite clearly that hasn’t been interpreted that way. So I do feel as though I’ve let down the Serbian fans.”
Channel Nine, the owner of this masthead, has also issued a public apology to the tennis pro and any fans who were offended by Jones’ remarks.
“Nine would like to apologise to Novak Djokovic for any offence caused by comments made during a recent live cross. No harm was intended towards Novak or his fans. We look forward to further showcasing his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park, a spokesperson shared on Monday morning.
On Sunday, the Serbian Council of Australia revealed that it lodged a formal complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission for Jones’ on-air comments, labelling the remarks as “racist” and “only serve to incite further discrimination of Australian-Serbs”.
Djokovic has yet to respond to the journalist and the broadcaster’s public apology. His next match will be at the Australian Open’s Men Quarter Final on Thursday, where he will play against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.
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