Novak Djokovic boycotted Australian Open on-court interview due to disparaging comments from Channel 9 anchor
ATP
Novak Djokovic confirmed in his post-match press conference at the Australian Open that he boycotted the post-match interview on court with Jim Courier because of the host broadcast Channel 9 and the lack of apology from its anchor Tony Jones for mocking Djokovic fan's on air earlier this week.
Djokovic was due to speak to Jim Courier who works for Channel 9 but hastily walked off court. He did speak to Eurosport though which raised questions about why it happened but he confirmed why.
"I would like to clarify the reason why the interview was not conducted on the court, the post-match interview, like it's a common, usual practice," said Djokovic.
"Couple of days ago the famous sports journalist who works for official broadcast Channel 9 here in Australia made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me. Since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9, so since they're official broadcasters I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9."
"I have nothing against Jim Courier or neither the Australian public, it was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It's unfortunate I chose to say something to the crowd but obviously wasn't the time and space or situation for me to explain what I'm doing right now. I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit."
During the live broadcast, the comments in question saw Jones say: “Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans in full voice … the chants are quite extraordinary." He then imitated the fans, saying: “Novak is overrated … Novak’s a has-been … Novak, kick him out.”
The 63-year-old journalist later spoke to Serbian outlet Sport Klub, apologising for what he called a misunderstanding. “Unfortunately, my ‘humour’ the other night was misinterpreted as an attack on Novak. That was certainly not the case. I’ve been joking with Serbian fans throughout the tournament, and this was – at least I thought so – a continuation of that,” he told Sport Klub.
“If you watch our morning show, you’ll get an idea of how we work. At no point did I mean to show any disrespect to Novak, and I apologise – there was certainly no intention to offend him.”
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— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 19, 2025
Novak Djokovic confirmed in his press conference just now that he boycotted his #AusOpen post-match interview tonight because of the host broadcaster, Channel 9, and its lack of apology for its anchor Tony Jones mocking Djokovic's fans recently on-air. pic.twitter.com/wZdc0HivvM
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