Novak Djokovic ends Channel 9 boycott as Tennis Australia decides on punishment

A source at Channel 9 has told Yahoo Sports Australia to Novak Djokovic will commit to a postgame interview on the field with the television network should he overpower Carlos Alcaraz in Tuesday night’s quarterfinals at Australian Open. It is understood the 24-time grand slam winner has buried the hatchet with Channel 9 after a well-publicised falls out with the tournament transmitter and will field questions from court interviewer Jim Courier if he beats Alcaraz.

The 37-year-old refused to be interviewed on the court after winning his fourth-round bout, angered by comments from Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones which Djokovic found offensive to Serbian society. It is believed that the Djokovic camp has since accepted Jones’ apology and will now put the matter to rest.

This was told by a source involved in Channel 9’s coverage Yahoo Sports Australia: “We have been led to believe that it will be business as usual should Novak be required for an interview.”

News of Djokovic’s change of heart comes amid reports that he will avoid a fine for failing to contact the Courier on Sunday night. It is believed that Tennis Australia will take no action in a move that is sure to come under intense scrutiny over concerns it sets a precedent.

Djokovic’s boycott on the court surprised the Courier, but the American took no offense. “I definitely didn’t expect Novak to look at me with a questioning look like, ‘Why are you out here?'” Courier told Tennis Channel Live. “I think he thought we should have known he wasn’t going to do it. I had no inside information.

“There was no problem on the field, but when he said he didn’t want to do the interview, that’s fine. We had a discussion in the hallway (with his management) and they wanted to make sure they knew that I knew it. It was nothing personal to me (and) I certainly knew that.”

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But Courier reminded Djokovic’s entourage of the lost opportunity. “I said ‘look, you’re not just talking to Channel 9 – I’m not out here representing Channel 9, I’m representing Tennis Australia – and this is an interview that goes out into the world. And it’s a chance for all these players , not just Novak, to communicate directly to their fans, and I hope they’ll realize there’s more opportunity for good there than making a point.”

Courier added: “While this isn’t a super good thing for the tournament, I think for Novak it could turn out to be a positive because he’s certainly very motivated for a lot of reasons.”