Television presenter Tony Jones was accused of ‘insulting’ Novak Djokovic throughout the 2025 Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic throughout a coaching session.(AP)
In January, Jones stirred controversy throughout the Australian Open broadcasting with remarks on on Djokovic and his Serbian followers. He stated, “Novak, he’s overrated.”
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He additionally remarked, “Novak’s a has-been.”
He additionally made a press release on the Serbian’s 2022 deportation as a consequence of visa points and Covid-19 guidelines in Australia. “Novak, kick him out… Boy, I’m glad they’ll’t hear me.”
Jones joined Nine Network in 1986, and has been their frontman in sports activities protection for a very long time.
In response, Djokovic additionally boycotted his on-court interview after his fourtn spherical win. Later, Djokovic had stated, “Channel Nine right here in Australia made a mockery of Serbian followers and in addition made insulting and offensive feedback in direction of me.”
Then Jones claimed that he had already apologised to Djokovic. “The feedback had been made on the information on the Friday night time, which I thought of to be banter. I thought of it to be humour, which is according to most issues I do,” Jones stated.
“Having stated that, I used to be made conscious on Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia through the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic camp was not blissful in any respect with these feedback. As such I instantly contacted the Djokovic camp and issued and apology to them – 48 hours in the past – for any disrespect that Novak felt, that I had triggered.
“As I stand right here now I can solely stand by that apology to Novak. I also needs to say the disrespect was prolonged, in some ways, to the Serbian followers. We have constructed up a pleasant rapport with the Serbian followers… there may be banter, and I believed what I used to be doing was an extension of that banter. Quite clearly that has not been interpreted that method. I really feel as if I’ve let down the Serbian followers. It has been an unlucky state of affairs,” he added.
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