Aussie Commentator Dropped From Wimbledon Coverage After Controversial Remarks on Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has arrived in London to start his preparation for Wimbledon, which he aims to win for the eighth time.

Aussie Commentator Dropped From Wimbledon Coverage After Controversial Remarks on Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic (X/Wimbledon)

Veteran Australian commentator Tony Jones will not be traveling to London for Wimbledon commentary as Channel Nine dropped him from its coverage. The reason behind this is the controversy he sparked with his comments at this year’s Australian Open on Novak Djokovic.

Jones called the World No.6 “overrated” and a “has-been” during a live broadcast and this upset the 24-time Grand Slam champion who demanded an apology, boycotting his on-court interview with former player Jim Courier as a result of this. Jones did apologize and Djokovic moved on from the incident.

But now, Jones is again making headlines before Wimbledon, which starts on June 30. The Serb will be entering the tournament to chase his record 25th Grand Slam title. He was the finalist in the last two seasons, losing both matches to World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic hasn’t yet captured a Major since the 2023 US Open.

At this year’s Melbourne Slam, after moving past Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, the 38-year-old handed the walkover to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev in the semifinal after he lost the first set due to an injury.

Then at the French Open, after strong performances one after the other, Djokovic couldn’t go past World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. He last lifted the Wimbledon title in 2022 by beating Australia’s Nick Kyrgios.

Patrick Mouratoglou backs Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic will be aiming to tie the Wimbledon title tally with Roger Federer, who retired with eight of these trophies. Since 2018, Djokovic has reached the championship match of every Wimbledon, winning the titles from 2018 to 2022 and losing in the last two years to Carlos Alcaraz.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via Univers Tennis)

Djokovic ended his title drought by winning the Geneva Open this year, becoming the third man after Federer and Jimmy Connors to win 100 or more titles. It was his first title since last year’s Paris Olympics win.

But before the ATP 250 event in the Swiss city, Djokovic lost his opening-round matches in both Monte Carlo and Madrid. Because of his campaign at Roland Garros, Serena Williams‘ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou considers Djokovic one of the contenders in the grass-court Major. He wrote on LinkedIn:

Next time you’re asked if Novak can win a 25th Grand Slam, think about it, what did he just show us in Paris?

In the clay-court Major, Djokovic was breezing past opponents one after the other, winning his matches in straight sets before he was pitted against World No.3 Alexander Zverev, who took a set off him in the quarterfinals but the 2024 French Open runner-up ended up losing the match in four sets. In the semifinal, eventual finalist Jannik Sinner had to toil hard to knock him out and take a 5-4 lead in the head-to-head matchups.

After a shaky clay season, Novak made it all the way to the Roland Garros semifinals, beating top players like Zverev and pushing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a tight three-set match. Technically, physically, he’s still at the level. Let’s be clear: his tennis hasn’t dropped. He’s still capable of producing the precision, variation, and timing that made him one of the greatest players in history.

Patrick Mouratoglou added

Many fans and tennis pundits think this year’s Wimbledon is the last chance for Djokovic to win his 25th Major because it’s the only Grand Slam tournament where he has reached the final since winning the 2023 US Open.

Djokovic will be making his 20th consecutive appearance in the third Major of the season. If he wins Wimbledon, he will become the second man to win 100 matches in two different Grand Slam events.

Also read: Nick Kyrgios Slams BBC for Axing him from Wimbledon Coverage