Novak Djokovic's reason for refusing Australian Open interview as he demands apology
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Novak Djokovic has demanded an apology after storming out of his post-match interview following his Australian Open win on Sunday. The Serbian maestro, 37, saw off Jiri Lehecka in straight-sets to book his place in the quarter-finals but opted not to conduct the traditional on-court interview with Jim Courier afterwards. During his post-match press conference, Djokovic explained that he skipped the interview in protest of anti-Serbian comments made by Tony Jones, a presenter on the Channel 9 network, who are broadcasting the tournament in Australia.
He added that he'll continue to skip them until an apology is issued, even if he gets fined. "I would like to just clarify the reason why the interview was not conducted on the court, the post-match interview, like it's a common, usual practice," Djokovic told reporters.
"[A] 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. And 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. I have nothing against Jim Courier or neither the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. "It's unfortunate I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously wasn't the time and space or situation for me to explain what I'm doing right now. I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit. That's all." Asked if his stance would remain until he gets an apology, he said: "Yes, exactly.".
