Novak Djokovic apologizes and prepares to focus on Carlos Alcaraz at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic got the kind of backlash he wanted from the Australian Open’s local broadcaster and its employee who insulted him on air, and so, according to tournament organizers, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is ready to focus on his quarterfinal showdown. With Carlos Alcaraz.

“Novak has acknowledged that the apology has been made publicly as requested,” read a statement from Tennis Australia, “and is now focusing on his next match.”

It will, perhaps, draw a curtain on the bizarre off-court confusion as Djokovic looks to win an 11th championship at Melbourne Park and 25th major trophy overall.

After winning on Rod Laver Arena to set up a showdown against No. 3 Alcaraz, Djokovic declined to do the traditional post-match ceremony in an on-court TV interview, but did not immediately say why because of some jeers from the audience. That same night, in his press conference, Djokovic explained that he was taking the stand to protest comments made by Tony Jones on Channel 9.

Djokovic, 37, of Serbia, did not name Jones, but said “a famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster Channel 9 … mocked Serbian fans and made insulting and offensive comments towards me.”

Jones called Djokovic overrated and a has-been, and that appeared to be a reference to when the player was deported from Australia in 2022 because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Djokovic added that he and Jones will continue to avoid talking to the network without an apology.

who finally arrived.

The Nine Network said in a statement that it apologized “for any offense caused by the comments” during the live broadcast.

“No harm was intended toward Novak or his fans,” the statement continued. “We look forward to further showcasing his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park.”

During an appearance on a TV show, Jones said he intended his words as “banter” and apologized to Djokovic “if he thinks I disrespected him.”

“I think of it as humor, which is consistent with most of my stuff,” Jones said. “Having said that, I became aware … that the Djokovic camp was not at all happy with these comments. I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and apologized to them. And as I stand here now, I stand apologizing to Novak.

Jones also gave words to the Serbians.

“I feel like I let the Serbian fans down,” he said. “I’m not saying this just to try and get out of trouble or anything. I really feel for those fans.”

Serbia’s ambassador to Australia, Red Stefanovic, even got involved, telling the Sydney Morning Herald that Jones’ comments were “clearly unprofessional”, including a “most disturbing” reference to what happened three years ago when Djokovic was kicked out of the country. of the tournament amid the pandemic.

Before Jones and his employer issued their apologies, Djokovic posted a message on social media explaining why he refused to speak. This drew a reply from billionaire X owner Elon Musk, who said, “It’s better to speak directly to the public than to go through the negativity filter of the legacy media.”

Djokovic responded to Musk’s tweet with a “really” and a raised hand emoji.