(Dan Tri) - Nine Network television has apologized after Novak Djokovic refused to be interviewed after his match at the Australian Open yesterday (January 19) to protest negative comments directed at him.
The Nine Network has apologised after Novak Djokovic refused to be interviewed after his Australian Open match yesterday (19/1) in protest at comments aired by a reporter working for the channel.
Djokovic said he wanted an apology from Channel 9 and Tony Jones. During a live broadcast appearance at Melbourne Park in front of Djokovic fans on the morning of January 19, Jones said the Serbian was overrated and out of date, as well as making an explicit reference to his deportation from Australia in 2022 for not having been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Tony Jones made comments that angered Djokovic (Photo: Getty).
Djokovic did not name Jones, but said "a well-known sports journalist working for the official television channel, Channel 9, mocked Serbian fans and made offensive and vulgar comments towards me".
Djokovic said he would continue to refuse to answer questions after the match. "I'll let Channel 9 handle it the way they see fit. It's as simple as that," Djokovic added.
Australia's Nine Network, which owns Channel 9, quickly issued a statement today (January 20) and apologized to Djokovic "for any offence caused by recent on-air comments." The Nine Network statement said: "There was no intention to cause harm to Djokovic or his fans. We look forward to continuing to showcase his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park."
Jones also appeared on the Today show today to apologise and said he was only joking when he made the comments.
"I took it as humor, which is in line with most of what I do. However, I realized that Djokovic was not happy with those comments. I immediately contacted Djokovic's team and apologized to them. And as I stand here, I also want to apologize to Djokovic," Jones said. Jones also apologized to Serbian fans who did not understand his comments as humor.
"I feel like I let the Serbian fans down. I'm not saying this to try to get out of trouble or anything. I really feel for those fans. So I'll say back to Djokovic what I said to him 48 hours ago. Which is I'm sorry if he feels like I disrespected him," Jones added.
Djokovic did not participate in interviews but only said goodbye to the audience after the third round match (Photo: Getty).
Serbia's ambassador to Australia, Rade Stefanovic, said Jones' comments were "clearly unprofessional" and could not be taken as a joke, particularly the "most disturbing" inference regarding Djokovic's expulsion on the eve of the tournament three years ago.
"That event is still fresh in the minds of Serbian people around the world, including Australians of Serbian descent who were also collectively victims at the time," the Sydney Morning Herald - also owned by the same parent company as Channel 9 - quoted Stefanovic as saying today.
After beating Jiri Lehecka in three sets at Rod Laver Arena yesterday to reach the quarter-finals, Djokovic was expected to address former player Jim Courier on television. However, Djokovic took the microphone and told the crowd: "Thank you very much for being here tonight. I appreciate your presence and your support. I'll see you in the next round. Thank you very much," and then he left.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/dai-truyen-hinh-cua-australia-xin-loi-novak-djokovic-20250120151134298.htm
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