Tennis Australia make call on fining Novak Djokovic over Channel 9 media snub

Tennis Australia has made up its mind after Novak Djokovic failed to carry out his media commitments following his win in the fourth round.

Novak Djokovic is set to escape sanctions for failing to fulfil his media commitments following his fourth-round win over Jiri Lehecka, with news.com.au understanding Tennis Australia has decided not to fine the tennis superstar.

On Sunday, Djokovic left Channel 9 interviewer Jim Courier hanging as the 24-time grand slam champion snubbed his on-court interview to protest comments made on air by Tony Jones – who works for the Nine network.

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Last week Jones jokingly called the Serbian tennis ace “overrated” and a “has-been”, before also referencing his deportation from Australia in 2022 due to being unvaccinated for Covid with the quip “kick him out”, during an on-air appearance at Melbourne Park in front of a crowd of proud Serbian fans chanting Djokovic’s name.

Speaking about his post-game interview snub, the 37-year-old explained he would not conduct media duties with Channel 9 until Jones and the network apologised for the comments.

“A famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel 9 … made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments toward me,” Djokovic said in a video to X after his win over Lehecka.

Novak Djokovic is expected to escape a fine for his media snub (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

“I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit. That’s all.”

News.com.au understands since then the hatchet has been buried after both Channel 9 and Jones apologised on Monday.

It is understood Djokovic is satisfied with the network and Jones’ apology and will fulfil his on-court commitments with Courier if he is victorious in his quarter-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday night.

“Novak acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested and is now moving on and focusing on his next match,” Tennis Australia said in a statement to news.com.au on Tuesday morning.

However, Tennis Australia in conjunction with the other three grand slam tournament organisers faced a tough decision on whether or not to fine the 10-time Australian Open champion for not fulfilling his media commitments.

The world No. 7 said he would accept a fine for skipping his on-court interview, but news.com.au understands Tennis Australia has decided not to fine him.

However, the decision to not sanction the tennis great could set a dangerous precedent, given the fact the ATP official rulebook states: “Unless injured and physically unable to appear, a player or team must be available, as determined by ATP, on court (for TVs only), in the mixed zone or media conference area after the conclusion of each match whether the player or team was the winner or loser.”

“Post-match media obligations include three interviews, with the news service, host and player’s national broadcasters.”

The rulebook also states that for a player ranked in the top 10, a breach would result in a $20,000 fine.

Novak Djokovic snubbed Jim Courier following his fourth round win. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Previously Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 after she skipped her press conference following her first-round win at the French Open in 2021 despite citing mental health reasons.

But when handing down the fine, in a joint statement from the four grand slam tournaments, they said skipping media commitments could not go unpunished.

“We want to underline that rules are in place to ensure all players are treated exactly the same, no matter their stature, beliefs or achievement,” read the statement.

“As a sport, there is nothing more important than ensuring no player has an unfair advantage over another, which unfortunately is the case in this situation if one player refuses to dedicate time to participate in media commitments while the others all honour their commitments.”

The decision therefore not to fine Djokovic could cause waves across the tennis world.