An Australian broadcaster has apologised to Novak Djokovic for comments he made on TV that Djokovic considered “insulting and offensive”.
Channel Nine’s Tony Jones shouted “Novak, he’s overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out” towards Djokovic fans while live on air at the Australian Open on Friday.
As a result, Djokovic refused to do his usual on-court interview after Sunday’s fourth-round win over Jiri Lehecka because of Channel Nine being official broadcasters of the tournament.
Speaking at a news conference afterwards, Djokovic said Jones had “made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me”.
The 37-year-old added that it “was a very awkward situation for me”.
Djokovic, a 10-time champion at Melbourne Park, plays world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
