Novak Djokovic-Tony Jones drama sours a declining relationship for the great Australian Open champion

Whenever Novak Djokovic participates in the Australian Open, news headlines always revolve around him, and not just because of his performance on the court.

As early as 2008, after Djokovic won his first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, he caused controversy at the awards ceremony. He then claimed that the audience wanted his opponent, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, to "win more," which made some people uncomfortable. In addition, before the 2021 Australian Open, he was criticized for writing to tournament director Craig Tiley, requesting a relaxation of COVID isolation restrictions for players.

This move sparked strong opposition from the Australian public, who were in the midst of the pandemic at the time, and Nick Kyrgios, who has now become a friend of Djokovic, even described the Serbian as "a tool" at the time. Djokovic later tried to defuse the situation, stating that he acted "with good intentions" and that his request to Tiley was "misinterpreted as selfish, difficult to get along with, and ungrateful," but this did not quell the critics.

Djokovic's stance before his visa was canceled in 2022 also failed to win much support, although some of his harshest critics, including Kyrgios, were shocked by the treatment the champion received. Just two weeks before the start of this year's Australian Open, the 24-time Grand Slam champion stirred up controversy again, claiming that the food he ate while being detained during the visa saga was "poisoned." Kyrgios, before becoming friends with Djokovic in 2022, had mainly criticized Djokovic for his "sick desire to be liked." Kyrgios said in 2019: "He just wants to be like Roger (Federer)... I feel like he wants to be liked too much that I can't stand him."

But in his recent trips to Australia, Djokovic seems to have accepted not being liked, or no longer cares about being liked, and his attitude has changed. In 2023, his father was ejected from the venue for taking photos with Russian flags during the war in Ukraine, which sparked tension, and Djokovic said it was "interpreted in a very wrong way." In 2024, Djokovic suggested that a person who was heckling in the audience should say it to his face. This year, he sided with American public enemy number one, Danielle Collins, supporting her dispute with the Australian audience.

"I love her response. I love everything she said on and off the court," Djokovic said after Collins suggested that the audience kiss her butt after defeating qualifier Destanee Aiava. "After that, I became a big fan of Danielle Collins. I was before, but now even more so. I love that." Halfway through the first Grand Slam of the season, Djokovic is once again in the news spotlight. The ten-time Australian Open champion boycotted post-match interviews after defeating Jiri Lehecka on Sunday evening, a decision he made due to comments made by Channel Nine sports journalist Tony Jones during a news broadcast on Friday.

Against the backdrop of loud cheers from Serbian supporters, Jones said that Djokovic was "overrated" and "past it." He also said "kick him out," which Jones admitted on Monday morning when he publicly apologized to Djokovic, that the phrase "was interpreted as a reminder of the COVID period," when the former world number one was expelled from Australia. Jones tried to explain the matter as a "joke," but Djokovic and his supporters did not find it funny. When facing the media on Sunday night, Djokovic claimed that Jones "mocked Serbian fans" and considered his comments "insulting and offensive." He emphasized that his anger was directed at Jones and Channel Nine, not the Australian public.

Members of the Australian Serbian community sympathized with Djokovic's experience and called for the Human Rights Commission to investigate the incident. "This is a real issue, these feelings are real, and the trauma is real," Nina Markovic, a spokesperson for the Serbian Council of Australia, told ABC Radio Melbourne. The online reaction was widespread, with many people supporting Djokovic's position. But he has also been accused of overreacting, not being able to take a joke, and not understanding Australian humor.

Now that Jones has publicly apologized, Djokovic is likely to lift his interview boycott of Channel Nine. But this incident has once again put Djokovic in the news spotlight, and these headlines are not always related to his tennis.