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January 21, 2025 8 mins

TV presenter Tony Jones has issued an apology to Novak Djokovic after mocking him and Serbian fans at the Australian Open.

It resulted in Djokovic boycotting an on-court interview following last night's win over Jiri Lehecka [yizzy la-hetch-ka].

Speaking on Channel Nine, Jones says he's reached out to Djokovic and his camp to apologise for making comments he considered to be banter.

Former New Zealand Professional David Mustard joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to discuss Novak's controversy. 

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
It'd be it's a warm welcome to the show to
David Mustard. Hi, David, how.

Speaker 3 (00:17):
Are you just just really amazed with this Australi Open
is the best one I've ever seen, more drama than anything,
Huge crowds, ninety five thousand people a day, day and night,
sessions going through early on in the tournament, you just
name it.

Speaker 4 (00:32):
Stuff's happening and it's great.

Speaker 5 (00:35):
It's fascinating to watch.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Although when players like mon Fees have to walk away
because the're a better elderly, that's disappointing. But we're not
really interested in that for this conversation anyway. We're interested
in the controversial character that arguably is the greatest player
to ever pick up a racket and if he wins
this Open, well he'll be number one at the top.
But people just know they can't embrace him.

Speaker 5 (00:58):
What is it with Novak Djokovic.

Speaker 4 (01:00):
It's interesting.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
I saw him in his early days courtside of the
Australian Open one time, playing I think, and I wasn't
very impressed with his attitude with his parents rowing him
up and him rowing up and he just looked like
an upstart, like a lot of the players. But he
just annoyed me. But then slowly but surely he started
growing on me.

Speaker 4 (01:21):
But every now and again.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
The whole thing about him is he loves He seems
to love controversy.

Speaker 4 (01:27):
He loves the friction, but it actually it makes him better.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
And that's a dangerous thing, you know, coming in for
Olcarez in this matchup that's coming out tonight, when there's
nothing worse than a Djokovic that's fired up, had controversy
around him about all this stuff, and I think a
tough thing for him, a bit of a chip he
probably has, is that he's undeniably the goat on stats,

(01:54):
on winds and Grand Slams twenty four and ten, Australin
Opens and what have you. But it's always been Nadal
and Federer who have had the more response to the
people they like the more that he has more affinity
with them. Jokovic has always not quite had that same
feel about it, and you've got to say, well, has

(02:15):
he changed the game. He's made it a lot better,
of course with the match ups, but Fedder and Nadal have.

Speaker 4 (02:21):
Just been liked more with the public. It's just the
way it's been.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
He's a lightning rod for controversy, though, isn't he. He
tends to make decisions or find himself on broad and
situations that just increased that friction between himself and everybody else.
Now that's not deliberate. Some people are just liked this,
aren't they, or they suggest some of his moves he made.
I don't know if he did it for the controversy,
but he's stuck to his guns.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yeah, yeah, he did that, you know.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
I mean, you know, you go back to the COVID
thing and he had his response to that and what
he wanted to do. And he's always been very strong
and opinionated on what he believes in, and he holds.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
That in spite of anything, you know, with all that
controversy coming about, with the gentleman Tony Jones from.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
Channel nine saying stuff, you know, mock the Serbian fans
and no, that actually has been all.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
S stuff and kicking out.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
I mean, that's that's actually ridiculous. He even said that,
but he said he was doing tongue in cheek and joking. Well,
that didn't sit well with Jokovic and he made a
call and said he wouldn't do the interviews on court,
walked away from Curier on court at the Open, said no,
I want to apologies and I'm not prepared to do
any more press stuff, even though we probably get fine
for it. He stuck to it and in many ways

(03:34):
he was right, but he tends to always go a
bit further than other people would go. So but in
the end he's been apologized too. He's accepted that he's
moved on. I mean, some ways some people have an
affinity to say he shouldn't have had to be of that.
So Djokovic is coming into this as a four to
three matchup and wins. The last time they played, I

(03:55):
think it was at Wimbledon w Akaraz one. But that's
a different surface, of course, and this is Jocovic's favorite
event where he's had the most success at. Honestly, you know,
Ezrodiks said on one of his podcasts, he said he's
just looking forward to wants to sit down and watch
this match.

Speaker 4 (04:10):
You'll be enthralled tonight. He just doesn't know which way
it's gonna go. Djokovic's got the ability.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
Al Karaz has got the ability Alcarez has the younger
legs twenty two, but Djokovic is incredible with his training patents.
He's thirty seven. Honestly, it could go either way. I
in my heart, I'd like Alcarez to win that, to
be honest, But then again, maybe you prefer the great Djokovic.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
People would say, David Master that his behavior is precious.
He sat at the top of the world for so long.
Shouldn't you just let things like a commentator regard his
words a little wrong, just drift past and not make
so much of an issue, Because without him doing that,
the issue wouldn't have been so big, would it. He

(04:54):
could have gone behind the scenes and I'm done and
add again, give me an apology. But there's something about
him that made it blow up.

Speaker 5 (05:01):
I don't know. Well, as you said, maybe that works
for him.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
He wants that, and that will put him in a
better state of mind to take on out and the
rest of the tournament.

Speaker 4 (05:09):
He seems to like a cause. He's stubborn, but he's
always been like that.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
I would have thought it would just take a lot
of energy having to even do this cause and say
on a Polis and all that. Why didn't he let
it go. I actually kind of agree with you. Why
why take all their energy about this? But then again,
that doesn't seem to make him tie, that seems to
fire him up.

Speaker 4 (05:32):
What do you say?

Speaker 3 (05:33):
I wonder what Andy Murray thinks of all this. I
wonder if he's in the same quart as Djokovic. I
don't know, but look, it's really interesting this matchup coming up.
Because also they didn't I didn't realize this until a
bit more research. You know, they have the analytics courtside though,
so the coaches can see it all the stats on
the matches coming through all the time, so they can

(05:56):
look at the first set. You know, if Jokovic loses that,
he goes did he serve to most of the time
our careers, where's he returning to him? They can see
all the stats and they can all of a sudden
make it adjustments to certain tactical situations.

Speaker 4 (06:09):
So it's quite amazing.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
How much will that play to be and how much
do they look at those stats?

Speaker 2 (06:16):
It's not tennis, guy, I need to do it on
the City of Pants, surely. Maybe that's another argument for
another day. Hey, just on on tonight, and we know
the crowd favorite will be Alkareth. He's the new young gun,
the new hope. And you know, the Aussie's relationship with
Novak probably not great. A lot of complaints around the
Australian crowd and their desire to boo and to bring

(06:39):
that kind of energy from from the seats cheap seats,
expensive seats where other How much is that going to
get into the heads of both players, our craz and
Djokovic when this Ossie crowd start going, because they will,
won't they, David?

Speaker 4 (06:55):
Who are they going to? Who are they going to
go for? It's interesting are they going to? It'll be
cool to see that earlier on, to see what of them?
Are they happy with Djokovic?

Speaker 3 (07:04):
Do they want them to keep going the older feller
against the young buck.

Speaker 4 (07:09):
Maybe I shouldn't put it.

Speaker 3 (07:10):
Like that, but Alcarez has been very passive, whereas Jokovic
is fired up. Do they like Jagarez because they see
the changing of the guard and he's actually got quite
a bit on this particular torment because they always keep talking.
I wonder how much he believes about him getting that.

Speaker 4 (07:29):
You know that winning would have won all the slams,
you know, at his age, all that sort of stuff.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
So the dynamics on how the crowd feel will be
quite interesting, and I think it will actually be quite
beneficial to whoever they are a little bit more, have
a bit more favoritism.

Speaker 4 (07:46):
To be honest, well, I'm.

Speaker 5 (07:47):
Going to enjoy it regardless of what happens. He'll be
a late whole night.

Speaker 2 (07:50):
I don't see this being done in straight sets. Let's
hoping it doesn't because I want all the entertainment I
can clap my eyes on regardless.

Speaker 5 (07:57):
Of the time and night.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
It is all morning, David must have as always, thanks
for your time, your expertise, in your opinion.

Speaker 5 (08:02):
You enjoy the rest of this fantastic tournament.

Speaker 4 (08:05):
I will thank you very much, have a good night.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it B from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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