Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones issued a public apology to Novak Djokovic and Serbian fans in Australia after the 24-time Grand Slam champion shocking boycott on-court interview on Sunday following his fourth-round win against Jiri Lehecka at the 2025 Australian Open. The Australian broadcaster, however, claimed that he had already apologised to Djokovic on Saturday, well ahead of his match on Sunday at the Rod Laver Arena.
Following the straight-set win against the Czech player that saw Djokovic match Roger Federer's (15) record for most quarterfinal appearances in Australian Open, the Serb snubbed the on-court interview with two-time Australian Open winner Jim Courier. He later clarified in the post-match presser that his boycott was due to Jones' recent comment on air which he deemed to be “insulting and offensive”.
Speaking on the Today Show on Monday amid calls for his resignation over the statement, Jones claimed that he already had attempted to mend the bridges with Djokovic on Saturday, where he reached out to the 10-time champion in Melbourne, well ahead of his act on the Rod Laver Arena. However, following Djokovic's demand for a public apology, Jones released a fresh statement.
“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,” he said. “Having said that, I was made aware on Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments. As such I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued and apology to them - 48 hours ago - for any disrespect that Novak felt, that I had caused.
{{/usCountry}}“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,” he said. “Having said that, I was made aware on Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments. As such I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued and apology to them - 48 hours ago - for any disrespect that Novak felt, that I had caused.
{{/usCountry}}“As I stand here now I can only stand by that apology to Novak. I should also say the disrespect was extended, in many ways, to the Serbian fans. We have built up a nice rapport with the Serbian fans... there is banter, and I thought what I was doing was an extension of that banter. Quite clearly that has not been interpreted that way. I feel as though I’ve let down the Serbian fans. It has been an unfortunate situation.”
Channel Nine issues apology
Following Jones' statement, the Australian media channel too issued an apology to Djokovic.
Their statement read: "Nine would like to apologise to Novak Djokovic for any offence caused from comments made during a recent live cross. No harm was intended towards Novak or his fans. We look forward to further showcasing his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park."