Novak Djokovic let his tennis do the talking at the Australian Open on Sunday, swatting aside the challenge of Jiri Lehecka to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic beat the Czech 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4) but then opted not to do the traditional on-court interview in protest at comments made by Tony Jones, a presenter on host broadcaster Channel 9.
The 10-time Melbourne winner felt Jones had mocked him and Serbian fans on TV on Friday.
Standing in front of Serbian fans Jones said: “Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans, they’re in full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary.”
Jones then turned to the fans and pretended to chant back at them, singing: “Novak, he’s overrated. Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out.”
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Djokovic unhappy
The former world number one did not take kindly to Jones’ actions, as he explained to the media afterwards: “A couple of 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 [on-court interviewer] Jim Courier or 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 it 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.”
A few words about what happened on court. pic.twitter.com/jRof2npiwH
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 19, 2025
Jones apologizes
Jones has apologised but Djokovic clearly does not feel it went far enough.
In a statement to Balkan TV channel and website SportKlub, the Australian said: “Unfortunately, my “humour” the other night was misinterpreted as an attack on Novak. That was certainly not the case. I’ve been joking with Serbian fans throughout the tournament and this is – at least I thought so – a continuation of that.
“If you watch our morning show, you’ll get an idea of how we work. At no point did I mean to show any disrespect to Novak and I apologise – there was certainly no intention to offend him.”
The incident overshadowed a fine performance from Djokovic who looks to have found his groove after a couple of underwhelming displays in the first two rounds.
Draper quits
He will have to play even better against Alcaraz, who was leading Jack Draper 7-5 6-1 when the Brit retired.
Djokovic leads their head-to-head record 4-3 and won their last meeting in the final of the Paris Olympics.
Second seed Alexander Zverev is also through after a 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 victory over Ugo Humbert.
The German will take on Tommy Paul next following his 6-1 6-1 6-1 demolition of a clearly-fatigued Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Sabalenka strides on
Aryna Sabalenka’s march through the women’s singles draw continued on Sunday as she swept past Mirra Andreeva with consummate ease.
The two-time defending champion at Melbourne Park appears well set for a three-peat after continuing her ominous form against the 17-year-old.
Sabalenka took just 62 minutes to win 6-1 6-2 and set up a quarter-final showdown with veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who ousted an injured Donna Vekic 7-6 (7-0) 6-0.
“Every match is [a] new opportunity, it’s a new game,” said Sabalenka. “It’s about staying in the moment and focusing on myself… I know that if I’ll be able to bring my best game, I know that I can get the win.
“I’m just going to go there and fight.”
Coco Gauff saw off Belinda Bencic 5-7 6-2 6-1 to set up a clash with Paula Badosa, a 6-1 7-6 (7-2) winner over Olga Danilovic.
