TV Presenter Apologizes to Serbian Tennis Star Djokovic After Mocking Comments Spark Backlash

A prominent television sports presenter has issued an on-air apology to tennis superstar Novak Djokovic after making disparaging remarks about the 24-time Grand Slam winner and his Serbian fans during the Australian Open, Al Jazeera reports.

The incident has drawn widespread condemnation, including interventions from Elon Musk and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The controversy began after Djokovic defeated Jiri Lehecka on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals. The world number one declined a post-match on-court interview, citing “insulting and offensive comments” made by Channel Nine presenter Tony Jones as the reason. Djokovic accused Jones of labeling him a “has-been” and making other derogatory remarks aimed at him and his supporters.

Jones initially dismissed his comments as “banter” but issued a public apology on Monday.

“The comments were made on the news on the Friday night, which I considered to be banter. I considered it to be humour, which is consistent with most things I do. Having said that, I was made aware on Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments.”

Jones added that he had contacted the Djokovic team 48 hours prior to his on-air apology to offer his regret. He acknowledged that his remarks were disrespectful not only to Djokovic but also to Serbian fans, having sung “Novak, he’s overrated…Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out,” while live on air, in the presence of celebrating Serbian fans.

Djokovic responded to the initial comments with a video shared on X, which has garnered over 60 million views and prompted a response from platform owner Elon Musk. The tennis world also rallied behind the Serbian champion, with figures like Boris Becker, Nick Kyrgios, Darren Cahill, and Victoria Azarenka all voicing their support.Channel Nine also released a statement, apologizing for any offense caused and stating that “no harm was intended towards Novak or his fans.

However, the Serbian Council of Australia issued a strongly worded statement before Jones’ apology, demanding his sacking and lodging a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission. They condemned the comments, describing them as an attack on both Djokovic and the Serbian community.