Tony Jones Apologizes for Mocking Novak Djokovic and Serbian Fans

Australian TV presenter Tony Jones apologizes to Novak Djokovic for making 'offensive' and 'disrespectful' comments about the tennis star and Serbian fans during a live broadcast at the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic took to social media platform X to explain his stance on the controversy surrounding Tony Jones's comments. In a short video that has been viewed over 60 million times, Djokovic shared his perspective on the issue. The video caught the attention of X's owner, Elon Musk, who responded with a post saying, “It's way better just to talk to the public directly than go through the negativity filter of legacy media.” Djokovic replied to Musk's comment with a simple “Indeed.”

The controversy surrounding Jones's comments sparked a wave of support for Djokovic from the tennis community. Former world number one Boris Becker, Australian player Nick Kyrgios, Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill, and Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka all spoke out in support of Djokovic. Their backing underscored the widespread condemnation of Jones's remarks and highlighted the solidarity among tennis players.

Tony Jones addressed the controversy on Monday, explaining that he had considered his comments to be “banter” and “humour.” However, he acknowledged that his words had caused offense and apologized to Djokovic. Jones stated, ”The comments were made on the news on the Friday night, which I considered to be banter. I considered it to be humour, which is consistent with most things I do.” He continued, “Having said that, I was made aware on Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments. As such I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them - 48 hours ago - for any disrespect that Novak felt, that I had caused.” Jones reiterated his apology, saying, “As I stand here now I can only stand by that apology to Novak.”

The controversy surrounding Tony Jones's comments about Novak Djokovic began on Friday when a large group of Djokovic fans, holding Serbian flags, started cheering in the background while Jones was live on air at Melbourne Park. In response, Jones sang a mocking tune, saying: “Novak, he's overrated ... Novak's a has-been. Novak, kick him out.” Jones later acknowledged that his comments were not only disrespectful to Djokovic but also to the Serbian fans. “I should also say the disrespect was extended, in many ways, to the Serbian fans,” he said in his apology.

Jones attempted to explain his actions, stating that he believed his comments were an extension of the banter he had developed with the Serbian fans over time. However, he acknowledged that his comments had been misinterpreted. “We have built up a nice rapport with the Serbian fans ... there is banter, and I thought what I was doing was an extension of that banter. Quite clearly that has not been interpreted that way. I feel as though I've let down the Serbian fans. It has been an unfortunate situation.” Channel Nine also issued an apology, stating that “no harm was intended towards Novak or his fans.”

The Serbian Council of Australia condemned Jones's comments, calling for him to be sacked and lodging a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission. In a strongly worded statement, the council said: “His comments are offensive, racist and only serve to incite further discrimination of Australian-Serbs.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also weighed in on the issue, urging for more “kindness and generosity” in public discourse. “I've seen the comments made by (Jones),” he told ABC radio. “We need more kindness and generosity and respect across the board. That's what people are looking for.”

Tony Jones issues an apology to Novak Djokovic and every Serbian fan he hurt and disrespected.pic.twitter.com/8vjuGxxLKQ

— Danny 🐊 (@DjokovicFan_) January 20, 2025

Jones has faced criticism for his comments in the past, including from American tennis player Danielle Collins. Last week, Collins took issue with Jones after he labelled her a “brat” for thanking Australian Open hecklers for “paying my bills” during her defeat of home hope Destanee Aiava. Jones's comments about Collins and Djokovic have sparked a wider conversation about the tone and respect of sports commentary.