Channel Nine’s Tony Jones has issued a public apology to Novak Djokovic after comments he made on-air led to the tennis star refusing to participate in the network’s Australian Open coverage.
Jones drew backlash for mocking Djokovic and Serbian fans, calling him “overrated” and a “has-been” in a live segment, prompting calls for his resignation from the Serbian Council of Australia. At the same time, former doubles champion John Alexander suggested Djokovic’s skin is “a little thin”.
Djokovic clarified that his protest wasn’t aimed at fans, despite some jeers during his match against Jiří Lehečka.
The incident saw the 24-time grand slam champion skip the customary post-match chat with Jim Courier after his fourth-round win, instead addressing the crowd briefly before exiting to scattered boos.
At a press conference, Djokovic criticised Nine’s silence on the issue, stating, “Since neither Jones nor Channel Nine apologised, I won’t engage with their coverage.”
Jones today addressed the issue on Today, admitting he had reached out to Djokovic’s camp over the weekend to apologise. “I intended it as humour, which is typical of my style,” Jones said. “But Tennis Australia informed me on Saturday that the Djokovic camp was very upset.”
Channel Nine’s Tony Jones apologises to Novak Djokovic on Today.
He continued: “If I could just give you a bit of a timeline here – the comments were made on the news on the Friday night, which I considered to be banter. I considered it to be humour. Which is consistent with most things I do, whether it be the Sunday Footy Show or on the morning show or here.
“Any disrespect that Novak felt that I caused and as I stand here now I stand by that apology to Novak if he felt any disrespect, which clearly he does.”
Jones also went on to apologise to Serbian fans: “I should also say the disrespect was extended, I guess in many ways, to the Serbian fans”.
He then went on to reveal the three words that pushed Djokovic to boycott Nine’s coverage: “Kick him out.”
“I overstepped the mark,” Jones admitted. “That comment, tied to the crowd banter, could only be seen as a reference to Djokovic’s deportation during the Covid years. I now understand why that upset him so deeply.”
Jones’s comments have put Nine’s coverage in a tricky spot as the tournament reaches its climax.
Pictured: Tony Jones