There is a lot of controversy around Novak Djokovic not doing an on-court interview after defeating Jiri Lehecka in the round of sixteen at the Australian Open. Unlike in normal circumstances, where he would be interviewed by Channel 9 presenter Jim Courier, the 24-time Grand Slam champion preferred tweeting directly to his followers on X. Elon Musk applauded the 37-year-old not walking around answering questions in the heat of the moment but rather, the star was expressing himself directly to the fans.
Tony Jones of Channel 9 had earlier made fun of the Serbian superstar and his fans, and Djokovic boycotted Channel 9 for this reason. The controversy has only escalated as the Serb approaches one of the most crucial quarterfinal matches against Carlos Alcaraz, the rematch of their victory over Djokovic in the gold medal match at the Olympics tournament in Paris 2024.
The conflict between Novak Djokovic and Channel 9 escalated after Tony Jones said something about Serbian fans and the 24-time Grand Slam champion himself. Jones was watching a live broadcast and asked the fans to sing Djokovic’s name, but instead, he sang and insulted him, claiming he was a has-been and overrated tennis player.
Many people considered this action, taken just before Djokovic’s third-round match against Tomas Machac at Rod Laver Arena, highly inappropriate. People took to social media to protest, and videos of the statements spread, angering fans of the Serbian tennis star worldwide.
Elon Musk stood up for Djokovic, claiming that Channel 9 and Tony Jones are horrible people to treat him that way. Naturally, the billionaire entrepreneur called for fair coverage and delighted in the Serbian communicating to his fans directly on X, instead of a post-match interview, which could have been disastrous for the latter.
“It’s way better just to talk to the public directly than go through the negativity filter of legacy media. It’s way better just to talk to the public directly than go through the negativity filter of legacy media.” – Elon Musk on X.
Even British journalist Piers Morgan, who also disagreed with Jones, supported Djokovic. They have further contributed to extending the attention to this conflict on the international level, although the problem has become a serious media issue far beyond the sphere of tennis.
Hear the criticism of Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios when he joins the list of the first to attack Tony Jones. Kyrgios, not shy about controversy, accused the broadcaster of disrespecting Djokovic and the Serbian people.
Kyrgios was not alone in his condemnation. Australian tennis veteran Paul McNamee also lamented the statements and called for decent treatment of players regardless of individual preference. Critics of Jones fumed over what they deemed Channel 9’s indecent and unprofessional manner.
Djokovic has not lost sight of his goal of advancing to his 15th Australian Open quarterfinal. His recent 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 dispatching of Jiri Lehecka demonstrated his on-court prowess, despite his controversies off the court.
Djokovic is now set to play with Carlos Alcaraz in what could be an intense quarter-final match. Since the final match at the Paris Olympics went in Djokovic’s favor, all eyes are placed on this rematch.
The ongoing war between Novak Djokovic and Channel 9 has been trending for days, and even Twitter CEO Elon Musk joined the ranks of the commentators, along with Piers Morgan. People can debate whether Djokovic was right to boycott Channel 9; however, on the field, he continues to show all and sundry why he will go down in history as one of the most accomplished players of all time. For more fearless sports coverage, visit Stadium Rant.
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