An Australian broadcaster has apologized to Novak Djokovic for comments made on air during the Australian Open that the tennis star considered “insulting and offensive.”
Channel Nine commentator Tony Jones shouted “Novak, he’s overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out” towards Djokovic fans while live on air on Friday.
Following these remarks, Djokovic refused to conduct his usual on-court interview after his fourth-round victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday. Djokovic cited Channel Nine’s role as the official broadcaster of the tournament in his decision.
In a statement on Monday, Jones apologized, stating: “I’m disappointed it come to this because the comments were made on the news on the Friday night which I considered to be banter and humour – which is consistent with what I do. However, 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.”
Djokovic had previously expressed his displeasure with Jones’ comments, stating that they were “insulting and offensive” and had “made a mockery of Serbian fans.” He described the situation as “very awkward.”
