MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian broadcaster Tony Jones has apologised to Novak Djokovic and fans of the Serbian for comments he made on TV on Friday night that the 10-times Australian Open champion considered “insulting and offensive”.
Djokovic declined to do the customary on-court interview after his fourth-round victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday pending a public apology from Jones and Australian broadcast rights holders Channel Nine.
Jones had mocked Djokovic and the Serbian fans who had gathered outside Channel Nine’s broadcast booth at Melbourne Park on Friday, saying the 24-times Grand Slam champion was “over-rated” and a “has been”.
In an interview on the channel on Monday, Jones said he thought the comments had been “banter” and he had immediately made a private apology to the “Djokovic camp” once he realised they had not been taken in humour.
“I can stand by that apology to Novak,” he said. “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 … and there was 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.”
Jones said the one comment he particularly regretted was “kick him out”, which he accepted could only be construed as a reference to Djokovic’s deportation from Australia in a row over his COVID vaccination status in early 2022.
“That has angered Novak which I completely understand now,” Jones said.
“It has been an unfortunate situation, it has been one of personal angst for Novak, it’s quite clearly personal angst for me as well.”
There was no immediate response to a request for comment from seventh seed Djokovic, who plays world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Sonali Paul)
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