The former no. 1 had left the pitch without speaking after the match he won against Lehecka, complaining about the offensive words
the case
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Jones had addressed the Serbian fans behind him, during a live broadcast, saying that Djokovic is “overrated”, a “past”, adding “kick him out”, apparently referring to the 2022 tournament, when the former world no. were not allowed to play due to Covid vaccination. Jones said he was joking, but Djokovic didn’t take it well, saying he was prepared not to give any more courtside interviews as Courier is part of the Nine Network, the same group as Jones. The journalist appeared on air in the morning and explained that he had contacted Djokovic’s team to apologize 2 days ago, after learning that his words had not been appreciated. “I am here now to reiterate my apology in front of everyone, if my words offended him,” Jones said. “I feel like I let the Serbian fans down,” he said. “I’m not just saying that to try to get myself out of trouble or anything. I sincerely feel sorry for those fans. If I could go back in time… It was an unfortunate situation, it was personal anguish for Novak and it was personal anguish for me too, but now the priority now is to focus on tennis again.” Jones said that he had already offered to meet Djokovic to apologize face to face.
the prime minister
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The controversy between the Serbian champion and the Nine Network journalist has become a national case. Even the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, intervened on the issue: “They have to resolve it among themselves, but for my part I think that Novak Djokovic is certainly a good tennis player, there is no doubt about this, and I also think that there is room to have more respect. I saw the comments made by Jones, and we need more kindness, generosity and respect on all levels. This is what people are looking for and what they expect.”