Tennis Australia has decided not to fine Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic for skipping media commitments to protest against comments made by Channel Nine star Tony Jones last week.
Djokovic declined a post-match interview after his fourth-round win, explaining in his press conference and on social media that he decided on the boycott due to being mocked by Jones.
‘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,’ the 24-time grand slam winner later clarified.
‘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.’
The comments came on Friday when Jones was broadcasting in front of an assembled crowd of Serbian Djokovic fans chanting and singing to honour their hero.
‘Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans, they’re in full voice,’ Jones said. ‘The chants are quite extraordinary.’
Novak Djokovic will escape sanction for skipping his media commitments in protest of Channel Nine reporter Tony Jones’ comments
Jones has made a public apology and has been retained by the host broadcaster for the rest of the Australian Open
Jones was lambasted for mocking Serbian supporters and making disparaging comments about their hero Novak Djokovic
He then turned round to face the Serbian supporters and mocked their chanting: ‘Novak, he’s overrated,’ Jones sang. ‘Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out.
‘Boy, I’m glad they can’t hear me. Anyway, let’s get onto the tennis.’
Jones apologised on air, explaining the remarks were intended as humour, but acknowledged the disrespect caused.
‘If I could turn it back time right, and I know we’ve all got PhDs in hindsight, I think the one thing where I overstepped the mark, and this is certainly what’s really sort of angered Novak Djokovic and his camp, is the last comment I made in that back and forth with the crowd — ‘kick him out’,’ Jones said on Nine.
Djokovic accepted the public apology and shifted focus to his upcoming matches.
Attending media commitments is compulsory for all players at grand slam events, with skipping them regarded as gaining an unfair advantage because it gives players more time to prepare than their opponent.
However the Australian Open has opted not to fine Djokovic for his stance.
There are no established fines laid out by the Grand Slam Code of Conduct. Instead, a sliding scale is used that fines players based on their ranking and earning potential.
Russian star Daniil Medvedev was fined heavily for smashing his racquet, attacking a camera and advertising signage and skipping a media interview
Naomi Osaka was also fined for missing a media commitment at the French Open, despite citing mental health issues
That starts at $1000 for lower ranked players and increases depending on the severity of the offence and the earning potential of the player.
The rules state that a player ranked in the top 10 can be fined $20,000 for skipper media committments.
Djokovic already holds the record for the biggest fine ever, slugged $US267,500 [$432,395 AUD] after he was disqualified from the US Open in 2020.
In that instance, the 24-time grand slam was booted from Flushing Meadows after he struck a line judge in the throat when he hit a ball out of frustration.
While Djokovic got off scot free, World No.5 Daniil Medvedev was not so fortunate.
He was fined $123,000 for two incidents – almost all of the $150,000 in prize money he earned at the 2025 Australian Open.
Melbourne hasn’t been all about scandals and tennis for Djokovic, who is pictured helping his daughter Tara learn to surf during the grand slam
Djokovic’s very Australian circuit-breaker at the Open came after he also took time out to take in a game of Big Bash League cricket
Medvedev went into meltdown in his five set victory over Thai wildcard Kasidit Samrej, attacking a net camera and destroying his racquet in the process.
The camera was very, very strong, because my racquet didn’t handle the damage, but the camera did. I was very surprised,’ Medvedev said afterwards.
In his second-round match, he hurled his racquet at the advertisement boards and skipped the early-morning post-match media conference.
While the majority of his penalties were for his destructive behaviour, at least part of the monster fine was for skipping his media commitments.
The ATP rulebook states clearly that media commitments are mandatory.
‘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,’ the rulebook states.
Djokovic can consider himself lucky after other big names were issued fines for the same crime.
Naomi Osaka was fined $15,000 at the 2021 French Open for skipping her press conference after her first-round victory, despite citing mental health reasons.
In a staggering twist, the four slams released a combined statement saying that fining Osaka was in the interest of ‘fairness’.
‘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,’ the statement read.
‘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 honor their commitments.’
However in 2023, Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka escaped sanction after she refused to do an official post-match press conference after a French Open match, claiming she ‘did not feel safe’ because of the escalation of the Ukraine war.
‘I should be able to feel safe when I do interviews with the journalists after my matches,’ Sabalenka said at the time.
‘For my own mental health and well-being, I have decided to take myself out of this situation today, and the tournament has supported me in this decision.’
