Novak Djokovic announced on Sunday that he would no longer participate in on-court interviews at the Australian Open after accusing a leading anchor at the host broadcaster of making "insulting comments" about him and Serbian people.
The 10-time Melbourne champion had just secured a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Jiri Lehecka to advance to the quarter-finals when he refused to do the regular post-match interview.
Instead, he took the microphone from interviewer Jim Courier, made a brief statement thanking the crowd, and walked off to a smattering of boos.
In a press conference after the match, Djokovic elaborated on his decision. "A couple of days ago, the famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster Channel Nine here in Australia made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me," he explained.
Although Djokovic did not name the journalist, he appeared to refer to Tony Jones. He expressed frustration that no public apology had been issued, either by the journalist or Channel Nine, which led him to boycott interviews with the broadcaster.
"Since they are the official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel Nine," Djokovic stated. The Serb made it clear that he held no grudge against interviewer Jim Courier or the Australian public but found the situation on court awkward.
He was asked if this stance would continue until he received an apology, and he replied, "Yes, exactly." Local media reports indicated that Djokovic's supporters were angered on Friday when Jones made fun of both Djokovic and his fans.
Djokovic mentioned that he had been in contact with tournament chief Craig Tiley and was prepared to accept any fine for not doing the post-match interview, saying, "That's okay, I'll accept that because I feel like this is something that needs to be done. That's all there is to it."
Earlier on Sunday, Djokovic defeated Lehecka in straight sets, reaching the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for a 15th time, equaling a record held by Roger Federer and one ahead of Rafael Nadal.
The victory sent Djokovic into a highly anticipated quarter-final clash with third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who advanced after Jack Draper retired hurt during their match.
Djokovic leads their head-to-head 4-3, including a victory in their last meeting at the Paris Olympics.
Despite Lehecka’s efforts, Djokovic dominated the match, breaking serve early in both the first and second sets. Although the third set proved more competitive, Djokovic sealed the win in a tiebreak.
Speaking about his upcoming opponent, Djokovic said, "We had some long battles, long exchanges. The kind of matches that I played against him remind me of my match-ups versus Nadal in terms of the intensity and the energy on the court."
Djokovic praised Alcaraz as "a very dynamic, explosive player" and added, "He's incredibly talented. Charismatic player. Great to watch – not that great to play against."
Meanwhile, Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals after Draper was forced to retire with an injury while trailing 7-5, 6-1.
Alcaraz expressed his satisfaction with his physical condition, stating, "Physically, I'm feeling great. So coming into the second week of a Grand Slam, it is important to feel well physically because right now the matches are even tougher."
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