Novak Djokovic found himself in a new conflict situation in Australia, this time with a journalist and a TV station in the country. The Serbian tennis player drew attention when he refused to give an on-court interview after his victory on Sunday (19) in the round of 16 of the Australian Open, demanded a public apology and received it this Monday (20).
The situation originated in a live appearance by Tony Jones on Channel Nine, directly from Melbourne Park, the complex where the traditional tennis tournament is played. Protected by a glass wall, he showed off Serbian fans and improvised a chant with phrases like “Novak is overrated” and “throw him out.” “It’s a good thing they can’t hear me,” he smiled.
The “throw him out” part particularly angered Djokovic, who was deported from Australia in 2022 and was unable to play in the Australian Open. At the time, he had not taken the mandatory vaccines against Covid-19. To this day, he said upon arrival in the country for this month’s championships, he experiences “the trauma of three years ago”.
Irritated by Jones’ comments, Novak did not answer the usual questions after his 3-0 victory over Czech Jiri Lehecka. Instead, he took the microphone from former player Jim Courier, who acted as the championship’s official reporter, and made a brief statement. “Thank you very much for being here today. I appreciate your presence and support, I’ll see you in the next round. Thank you very much,” he said, amid applause and boos.
The Serb later stated that he had nothing against Courier, whom he declared “tremendous respect”. And he explained that his attitude was motivated by jokes from journalist Tony Jones.
“A few days ago, a famous journalist from Australia, who works for one of the main broadcasters that broadcast the Australian Open, Channel Nine, decided to mock Serbian fans, made insults and offensive comments about me. I was waiting for him to publicly apologize , which he hasn’t done yet, just like Channel Nine,” he said.
“I need to support my decision and maintain this position until something is done. So, I leave it to Channel Nine, who knows, maybe the situation will change for the next game”, added the athlete, whose pressure paid off.
Jones apologized live on Monday, saying his comments were in jest, but admitting the content of the phrases was inappropriate.
“I was informed on Saturday morning by Tennis Australia [a federação australiana de tênis]via Djokovic’s team, that Djokovic was not at all happy with the comments. Therefore, I immediately contacted Djokovic’s team and issued an apology for any disrespect Novak felt I had caused,” he said.
He also regretted having “disappointed the Serbian fans”. “I’m not saying this to get out of trouble or anything. I’m really sorry,” Jones said.
The situation grew to the point of provoking a reaction from the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. In an interview with ABC radio, the government official pointed out that “there is room for more kindness, generosity and respect, in general.”
Tony Jones acknowledged he crossed a line with the “throw him out” comment, admitting it “can only be interpreted” as a reference to the tennis player’s deportation in 2022.
“It angered Novak, which I now completely understand. It was an unfortunate situation. It’s an issue that has been a personal anguish for Novak, it’s clearly an issue for me as well, but I think the priority now is to refocus on tennis. He has an incredible match tomorrow,” concluded Jones.
The journalist was referring to the duel between the Serbian, current seven in the world and ten times champion of the Australian Open, against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, third in the rankings. The game, which counts for a place in the semi-finals, is scheduled for 6am (Brasília time) this Tuesday (21).
According to Tennis Australia, Djokovic has accepted the apology and will give an interview if he wins.
The Nine Network, responsible for Channel Nine, also apologized for “any offense caused”. The company stated that “no harm was intended to cause any harm to Novak or his fans.”
