Novak Djokovic Boycotts Australian Open Interview After Ignorant Broadcaster Calls Him 'Overrated Has-Been'

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Novak Djokovic refused to take part in the traditional, on-court interview after earning his spot in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Saturday night, and it's incredibly easy to see why he elected to do so.

Following his straight-set win over Jiri Lehecka, Djokovic explained to the media inside the press room that he chose not to do the on-court interview after one of the official channel's broadcasters mocked not only him, but his Serbian supporters.

"Couple days ago, the famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster, Channel 9 here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me," Djokovic said. "Since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So, since they're official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9."

While it's often easier to give a broadcaster the benefit of the doubt in today's sports world filled with entitled athletes, it's basically impossible not to take Djokovic's side in this instance.

During tournament coverage on Friday night, 9 News broadcaster Tony Jones was doing a live spot outside of Rod Laver Arena in front of a rowdy bunch of Serbian fans chanting in support of Djokovic. At one point, Jones turned toward the crowd and sarcastically started chanting "Novak is overrated ... Novak’s a has-been ... Novak kick him out."  

Not only were Jones' comments unprofessional, they made absolutely no sense.

Djokovic's 24 Grand Slam titles are the most all-time on the men's side, which makes him the greatest tennis player to ever live in the eyes of many. Of those 24 titles, 10 of them came at the Australian Open, giving him four more Aussie Opens than the next two players on that list, Roy Emerson and Roger Federer.

Jones' "kick him out" comment likely has to do with Djokovic's' unvaccinated status. Djokovic was detained by Australian officials in 2022 and ultimately deported from the country due to his personal choice to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

After not being allowed to take the court in 2022, Djokovic returned to the Australian Open in 2023 and won the title with a straight-set winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016, when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.