Novak Djokovic slams Australian Open broadcaster for ‘insulting comments’, skips interview

10-time champion Novak Djokovic broke his silence after refusing to give the usual on-court interview following his round of 16 victory on Sunday. Djokovic crushed Czech Jiri Lehecka in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 7-6) to set up a blockbuster quarter-final with third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz. Taking to social media, Djokovic clarified his refusal to give a post-match interview, accusing a “famous sports journalist” of insulting him and Serbian fans during a live broadcast on Channel 9, the official channel of the Australian Open.

Djokovic said he would continue to avoid speaking with Channel 9 until the journalist and the channel apologized to him and Serbian fans.

“A journalist working for Channel 9 in Australia made fun of Serbian fans and made insulting and offensive comments towards me. Since then, he has chosen not to issue a public apology. Neither has Channel 9. Like these are official channels, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9,” Djokovic, who is aiming for an 11th Australian Open crown, said in a video message on X.

A few words about what happened on the ground. pic.twitter.com/jRof2npiwH

– Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 19, 2025

Djokovic also apologized to American tennis legend Jim Courier, who was supposed to interview him on behalf of Channel 9, calling the situation “embarrassing.”

“I have nothing against Jim Courier or the Australian public. It was a very delicate situation for me to be faced with on the field today. It’s a shame that I chose to say something to the crowd , but obviously I didn’t have the time, space or situation for me to explain what I’m doing at the moment I’ll leave it to Channel 9 to handle this as they see fit, that’s. everything,” he added.

Djokovic, who is aiming for his record 25th major, took two hours and 39 minutes to seal victory over the Czech player at the Rod Laver Arena. With the victory, the Serbian great equaled Swiss legend Roger Federer’s record of reaching 15 men’s singles quarterfinals in the hard-court major.

The Serbian is aiming to become the oldest player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam title, a record which currently belongs to Ken Rosewall, who won the Australian Open in 1972 at the age of 37 and 62 days. At the end of this fortnight in Melbourne, Djokovic will be 37 years and 249 days old.

(With IANS entries)