Djokovic Accepts Apology After 'Disrespectful' Comments From Australian Open Presenter
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Novak Djokovic received the public apology he sought from Channel 9 and its presenter, Tony Jones, for comments that led to the Serbian boycotting the broadcaster after his fourth-round victory at the Australian Open.
Tennis fans were left shocked after a video went viral of Jones turning around to the Serbian fans, who were chanting loudly in support of Djokovic, and responding to them with three insults of the former ATP world No. 1, including a reference to a sensitive topic.
Jones said, "Novak, he's overrated! Novak's a has-been! Novak, kick him out!". The final mention of "kick him out" was clearly about Djokovic's 2022 deportation from Australia after being detained at an immigration hotel.
Djokovic showed his anger at those comments by boycotting an on-court interview with Jim Courier because Jones and the host broadcaster had not apologized since the controversial comments.
The ten-time Australian Open champion also thinks Jones' comments were offensive to the Serbian fans he chanted them to and felt they deserved an apology for what was directed at them.
Channel 9 and Jones responded to the situation by apologizing to Djokovic. The broadcaster's brief statement apologized for any offense caused and said no harm was intended to him or his fans.
Jones's response to the incident was much more lengthy. When asked on Channel 9 what his reaction to the story was, the veteran reporter outlined how he had immediately contacted Djokovic's team to apologize when he discovered his actions had offended.
"Well, one of disappointment that it's come to this. I'll give you a bit of a timeline. The comments were made on Friday night on the news, which I considered to be banter and consistent with most things that I do, whether the Sunday Footy Show or the morning show here (on Channel 9)."
"Having said that, I was made aware by Tennis Australia that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments. As such, I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them, which was 48 hours ago, for any disrespect that I had caused."
Jones also addressed Djokovic's feeling the Serbian fans were disrespected. The 63-year-old feels he let down the Serbian supporters because of the connection that had been built between him and them over the years.
"The disrespect was also extended to the Serbian fans. As you know, we've built up a nice rapport with the Serbian fans. They come with the flags and add so much color, and there was banter."
"I thought what I was doing was an extension of that banter. Quite clearly, it hasn't been interpreted in that way, and I feel like I've let down the Serbian fans."
Another notable part of Jones' apology was his saying he regretted the specific mention of "kick him out," which was the part that had most angered Djokovic and his team.
"The one thing where I did overstep the mark, and this is what has certainly angered Novak Djokovic and his camp, is the last comment I made in that back-and-forth with the crowd, 'kick him out.'"
"Now I can put whatever spin on that I want, but that can only be interpreted as a throwback to the COVID years when he was kicked out. That has angered Novak and I completely understand that now."
"I can only again tell Novak what I told him 48 hours ago, and that is I do apologize if he felt I disrespected him."
A subsequent statement from Tennis Australia said that Djokovic acknowledged the apology being made public as requested and now wanted to focus on his blockbuster quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz.
"Novak acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested, and is now moving on and focusing on his next match."
