WATCH: Novak Djokovic's Deportation Mocked By Australian Open Presenter
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A Channel 9 presenter at the Australian Open caused uproar among many by making light of Novak Djokovic's 2022 deportation from Australia while chanting at the Serbian's fans.
Djokovic's treatment when trying to enter Australia in 2022 was among the most controversial sports stories in recent years. At the time, the country had strict requirements for those not vaccinated against COVID-19.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was initially given a visa to enter the country, but the Australian Border Force detained him in an immigration hotel for five days after it was determined he did not meet the requirements as an unvaccinated person.
Despite the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia ordering his release, Djokovic was deported after a stress-inducing and scarring ordeal after the Immigration Minister at the time, Ethan Hawke, used his ministerial powers to revoke his visa.
The controversy from that incident blew up again before this year's Australian Open when Djokovic claimed that he was given poisoned food at the immigration hotel that made him sick when he returned to Serbia based on increased lead and mercury levels in his system.
That divisive incident being back in some people's minds since Djokovic's comments about being poisoned meant there was much astonishment when Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones referenced it while communicating with the tennis legend's supporters.
A video of the moment can be viewed below. Djokovic's fans are chanting in support of him in the background, leading to Jones turning around and chanting at them about him being overrated before making a reference to his ordeal three years ago.
"Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where the Novak Djokovic fans are in all full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary, 'Novak, he's overrated! Novak's a has-been! Novak, kick him out!' Boy, I'm glad they can't hear me."
Although the moment was undoubtedly unprofessional, Jones might have gotten away without much fuss until he said, "Kick him out," which was clearly aimed at him being detained and deported from Australia.
Djokovic's online fans, known for being particularly passionate in their support of him, reacted angrily to Jones referring to something that the former ATP world No. 1 admitted still causes him trauma when he is at Melbourne Airport.
SportKlub, a subscription sports television service that is broadcast in Serbia and surrounding counties, reached out to Jones about the incident. He claimed it was a prank gone wrong and never meant to offend Djokovic or his fans.
"Unfortunately, my 'humor' the previous evening was misinterpreted as an attack on Novak. That was certainly not the case. I joke with the Serbian fans throughout the tournament and this - at least I thought so - is a continuation of all that."
"If you watch our morning show, you would get an idea of how we work. At no point did I think to show disrespect to Novak and I apologize - there was certainly no intention to offend him."
While Jones may have meant it as a joke, he would have been better served by leaving his humor to matters on the court and not dragging up an incident that caused much division.
