Awkward moment Djokovic walks out of on-court interview after saying just 22 words before releasing statement on boycott
NOVAK DJOKOVIC refused to take part in an on-court interview following his straight sets victory over Jiri Lehecka at the Australian Open earlier today.
The Serb, 37, produced an excellent performance to book a quarter-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz.
But having been upset by comments made by Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones, Djokovic did not stick around for an interview.
Following the match, Jones’ colleague Jim Courier took to the court on Rod Laver Arena to speak to Djokovic.
But the 24-time Major champion only offered a brief statement to fans before walking off.
Before being seen in discussions with tournament director Craig Tiley, Djokovic said: “Thank you very much for being here tonight, I appreciate your presence and the support. I’ll see you in the next round.”
Jones, 63, upset Djokovic with comments made while standing in front of a vocal group of singing Serbian supporters.
The Aussie said: “Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans, they’re in full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary.”
Jones then sang: ‘Novak, he’s overrated. Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out.
“Boy, I’m glad they can’t hear me. Anyway, let’s get on to the tennis.”
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Djokovic began his post-match press conference with a pre-prepared statement on the issue.
He said: “Good evening. I would like to just clarify the reason why the interview was not conducted on the court, the post-match interview, like it’s a common, usual practice.
“A couple of days ago the famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster, Channel 9 here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me.
“And since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9.
“I have nothing against Jim Courier or the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It’s unfortunate.
“I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously it wasn’t the time and space or situation for me to explain what I’m doing right now.
“I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit. That’s all.”
If you guys want to fine me for not giving an on-court interview, that’s okay
Novak Djokovic
After confirming that this would remain his stance until he receives a direct apology, Djokovic added of his conversation with Tiley: “Exactly what I told you, that’s what I told him. I haven’t seen him since that happened.
“I have a really nice relationship with Craig, I think he’s a phenomenal guy that always tries to help players and understand the players’ needs or demands, so I just wanted to make sure that he knows where I stand and the reasons behind it.
“So I told him, ‘If you guys want to fine me for not giving an on-court interview, that’s okay, I’ll accept that because I feel like this is something that needs to be done’. That’s all there is to it.”
Djokovic went on to reaffirm his statement in a video posted to social media – before admitting that he hopes the situation can be resolved ahead of his quarter-final with Alcaraz.
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Channel 9 stalwart Jones has previously been involved in controversy during his near-four decades with the Aussie broadcaster.
In 2016 he infamously tried to kiss colleague Bec Judd, now 41, during a live segment.
When approached by Balkan outlet SportKlub, Jones did express regret at his words.
He said: “Unfortunately, my ‘humor’ the other night was misinterpreted as an attack on Novak.
“That was certainly not the case. I’ve been joking with Serbian fans throughout the tournament and this is – at least I thought so – a continuation of that.
“If you watch our morning show, you’ll get an idea of how we work. At no point did I mean to show any disrespect to Novak and I apologise – there was certainly no intention to offend him.”
It is not clear whether Djokovic expects a further on-air or in-person apology.