Novak Djokovic 'Could Be President Of Serbia' After Handling Australian Open Controversy
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Patrick McEnroe has praised Novak Djokovic's response to being mocked by a Channel 9 presenter. He thinks he could one day be Serbia's president.
The ten-time Australian Open champion was left infuriated when the host broadcaster's reporter, Tony Jones, chanted to the Serbian fans at the ongoing edition of the tournament about their hero being overrated before referring to his 2022 deportation from Australia.
Djokovic responded by refusing to do an on-court interview with Channel 9 after his fourth-round victory against Jiri Lehecka because he did not receive a public apology from Jones or Channel 9 for the comments.
Unsurprisingly, Channel 9 and Jones swiftly responded after Djokovic made his feelings known. The broadcaster issued a brief statement apologizing to the 37-year-old and stated no offense was meant.
Jones, during a much lengthier response, confirmed he had said sorry to Djokovic and his team privately before the former ATP world No. 1 refused to do the on-court interview but made the apology to him and the Serbian fans public.
Djokovic acknowledged the apology and said he wanted to move on from the incident before his dramatic quarterfinal victory against Carlos Alcaraz, defeating the 21-year-old in four sets.
Speaking on ESPN, Patrick McEnroe did not hide his thoughts about Jones's actions. He called the veteran reporter's words idiotic and admired Djokovic for standing his ground after becoming aware of them.
"All I have to say is good for Novak for speaking out because that too me was just an idiotic statement, an idiotic comment by Tony. Novak has every right to be annoyed."
McEnroe went further, arguing that his handling of the incident had increased the probability of him becoming Serbia's president, as it showed his pride in his country.
"I mean, he could be president of Serbia, and they talked about that possibility, and it just got even greater, with the way he handled that at his pride for his people in his country. He's literally an icon in his own country, as well he should be. So he had every right to take that stand that he did."
Djokovic sometimes delves into political issues. For example, in a recent GQ interview, he discussed the possibility of Serbia and Croatia becoming one country together because of their shared culture and history.
The tennis legend has also not completely ruled out the possibility of going into politics someday. However, Djokovic has also said he thinks he can more effectively work outside the system right now than in it.
His performance against Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarterfinal indicates that he could continue playing tennis for several more years, though. Djokovic's ability to compete against top players as a 37-year-old and after everything he has achieved is incredible.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will reach an 11th Australian Open final if he defeats Alexander Zverev in the semifinal. While the German presents a stiff challenge, Djokovic will be the favorite to many after overcoming the formidable obstacle of Alcaraz.
