Novak Djokovic: Australian broadcaster apologizes to 24-time grand slam singles champion ‘for any disrespect’ during on-air comments

CNN
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Australian broadcaster Tony Jones has apologized to Novak Djokovic for comments he says were intended to be “banter” and “humour”.

Jones, a veteran sports presenter on Australia’s Channel 9, taunted a group of Djokovic fans Australian Open during a live broadcast on Friday, yelling, “Novak, he’s overrated, Novak has been, Novak, throw him out.”

He then added, “Boy, I’m glad they can’t hear me.”

Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion looking to win his 25th grand slam singles title at this year’s tournament, responded to Jones’ comments by declining to give an on-court interview after his fourth-round win against Jiří. Lehečka.

“A few days ago, a famous sports journalist here from Australia who works for a main broadcaster of the Australian Open, Channel 9, decided to mock Serbian fans and made insulting and offensive comments to me,” Djokovic said in a video on social media.

“I was hoping he would apologize publicly, which he hasn’t yet, neither did Channel 9. So that’s the only reason I didn’t do the interview.”

On Monday, Jones made an on-air apology to the Serbian star and his fans in an appearance on Channel 9’s Today programme.

“The comments were made on the news on Friday night which I regarded as banter, I regarded it as humour, which is consistent with most of what I do, whether it’s the Sunday Footy Show, whether it’s the morning show here,” Jones said.

“Having said that, it was brought to my attention on Saturday morning from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp that the Djokovic camp was not at all happy with these comments. Now, as such, I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them … for any disrespect that Novak felt I had caused.”

He also added that he “feels like I’ve let the Serbian fans down. I’m not just saying this to try to get out of trouble or anything, I really feel for those fans.”

The Nine Network also apologized to Djokovic for “any offense caused” by Jones’ comments.

“No harm was intended towards Novak or his fans,” a Nine spokesperson told CNN. “We look forward to further showcasing his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park.”

According to Tennis Australia, Djokovic has acknowledged that the apology has been made publicly and he is “now moving on and focusing on his next match.”

World no. 7 against Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster quarter-final at Melbourne Park on Tuesday, a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon and Paris Olympics finals.

Should he win, Djokovic would then remain on course to claim an outright record 25th grand slam singles title, surpassing Australia’s Margaret Court.

After his win against the Czech Republic’s Lehečka, Djokovic reiterated that he had “nothing against Jim Courier” – the former world no. 1, who was conducting the interview on the pitch – and neither was the Australian public.

“It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the pitch today,” he told reporters.

Instead of giving the usual interview, Djokovic briefly thanked the crowd for their support before signing merchandise for fans courtside.

Jones’ initial comments attracted widespread attention, including from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese narrator ABC radio that “there is room for more respect … more kindness and generosity and respect, right across the board.”

Speaking on Monday, Jones explained how he “overstepped the mark” with the “kick him out” comment, which he said “can only be interpreted” as a reference to Djokovic’s deportation from Australia.

The 37-year-old was forced to leave the country ahead of the 2022 Australian Open after arriving unvaccinated against Covid-19.

“It has angered Novak, which I fully understand now,” Jones said. “It has been an unfortunate situation. It’s been a personal anxiety for Novak, it’s definitely a personal anxiety for me as well, but I just think the priority here now is to focus on tennis again.

“He’s got a great fight coming up tomorrow night against Carlos Alcaraz and I hope his focus can now be on that and my focus now is the broadcast again.”