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Australian TV presenter apologises for Djokovic sledge
Melissa Woods and Darren Walton, AAP • January 20th, 2025 1:30 pm
Photo: AAP
Tony Jones has issued a public apology to Novak Djokovic after the sports presenter's mocking of the 10-time Australian Open champion left the Serbian superstar and his fans fuming.
Djokovic advanced to the Open quarter-finals with a straight-sets win over Czech Jiri Lehecka on Sunday night but declined to be interviewed on court by Jim Courier after the match, instead taking the microphone to briefly thank the fans.
It was initially believed he was upset by some members of the crowd, but the tennis great revealed it was in protest of Jones' behaviour.
Djokovic said he would refuse any interviews with the tournament's host broadcaster Channel Nine until he received an apology.
The veteran newsreader was doing a live broadcast from Melbourne Park on Friday night when a large group of Djokovic fans holding Serbian flags began cheering in the background behind him.
Novak Djokovic made it clear he was unhappy with what Tony Jones said I Photo: AAP
Jones sledged the fans, singing to them: "Novak, he's overrated ... Novak's a has-been. Novak, kick him out."
While the comments were supposed to be a joke, he was widely slammed on social media.
Jones offered his public apology on Monday morning after saying he was surprised the episode had reached such a point.
"The comments were made on the news on the Friday night, which I considered to be banter," Jones said on the Today Show.
"I considered it to be humour, which is consistent with most things I do, whether it be the Sunday Footy Show or whether it be the Morning Show here.
"Having said that, 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.
"Now, as such, I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them. So this is 48 hours ago.
"For any disrespect that Novak felt that I'd caused, and as I stand here now, I stand by that apology to Novak if he felt any disrespect, which quite clearly he does."
