Novak Djokovic confirms ‘this’ ill-treatment as the reason behind his refusal of an on-court interview at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic will meet Carlos Alcaraz in a high-quality quarterfinal clash a the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Novak Djokovic confirms ‘this’ ill-treatment as the reason behind his refusal of an on-court interview at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic (Image via X)

Novak Djokovic is once again surrounded by controversy in the tennis world. The tennis legend is no stranger to such situations, and on Sunday (January 19th), another episode unfolded.

The Serb declined an on-court interview with Australian tennis legend and Channel 9 presenter Jim Courier. Djokovic briefly addressed the crowd before leaving the court, where he was met with a few boos. However, Djokovic clarified that his decision had nothing to do with the crowd.

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I’d like to just clarify the reason why it ws not conducted on the court … a couple of days ago the famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster Nine here in Austraia made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me.

Novak Djokovic said in the post-match press conference

Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones faced criticism in recent days for his controversial remarks about Djokovic and Serbian fans. Fans chanted behind Jones while he was on duty, which appeared to irritate him. Despite the backlash, Jones did not issue an apology.

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And since then he chose not to issue any public apology, neither did Nine. Since they’re official broadcasters I chose not to give interviews for Channel Nine. I have nothing against Jim Courier or the Australian public. It’s unfortunate, I chose to say something to the crowd but obviously wasn’t the time and situation to explain what I’m doing right now. I leave it to Nine to handle this the way they see fit.

Novak Djokovic added

Courier, who also works for Eurosport, stated that Djokovic confirmed to him there was no bad blood between them. Meanwhile, Djokovic spoke with Eurosport after the match and shared his thoughts on his performance.

Novak Djokovic ruthless in his Australian Open fourth-round

Novak Djokovic played brilliantly on Sunday (January 19th) to secure a spot in the Australian Open quarter-finals. He defeated 24th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) at Rod Laver Arena. The win took him two hours and 39 minutes and tied him with Roger Federer for reaching 15 men’s singles quarter-finals at the tournament. Djokovic’s strong performance showed why he is a 10-time champion at Melbourne Park.

Novak Djokovic (6)
Novak Djokovic (Image via X)

The 37-year-old Serbian controlled the match with consistent play from the baseline. Just as he did in his previous match against Tomas Machac, Djokovic stayed solid and limited his mistakes. He committed only 21 unforced errors, while Lehecka made 44. The Czech player struggled to find answers against Djokovic’s precision, especially during key moments of the match.

Lehecka started well but faltered during an important service game at 4-3 in the first set. A few errors and a double fault handed Djokovic a crucial break. Djokovic then served out the set confidently. In the second set, Djokovic broke Lehecka’s serve early and stayed strong, denying the Czech player any chance to fight back. Lehecka’s errors made it difficult for him to keep up.

The third set began with another break of serve by Djokovic. Lehecka managed to break back for the first time, making it 1-1. He showed flashes of brilliance with his powerful forehand but couldn’t maintain consistency. Djokovic held firm and closed out the match by winning the tie-break, his first tie-break win of 2025.