Novak Djokovic on Sunday (January 19) declined to speak to the legendary Jim Courier, shunning the customary on-court interview after his fourth-round win at Australian Open 2025.
Apparently upset with a few hecklers in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic left fans and pundits baffled by his decision not to speak to broadcasters following his straight-sets victory over Jiri Lehecka.
Brief address
Djokovic took the microphone from Jim Courier and delivered a brief address to the crowd before heading back through the tunnel. He, however, paused to sign autographs for a few fans waiting with Serbian flags. He signed match balls and t-shirts despite appearing visibly frustrated.
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“Thank you very much for being here tonight. I appreciate your presence and the support. See you next round,” Djokovic said, abruptly concluding his speech after defeating the 24th seed Lehecka in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 7-6) to set up a blockbuster quarterfinal tie with third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
Seeks public apology
Later, Djokovic broke his silence and said he boycotted the on-court interview in response to a sports journalist’s “insulting comments” about him and Serbian fans last week. He demanded a public apology from both the official broadcasters and the journalist in question, saying he was hurt by the comments. Djokovic vowed to continue boycotting on-court interviews and interactions with Channel 9 until an apology is issued.
“A journalist who works for Channel 9 in Australia made a mockery of Serbian fans and made insulting and offensive comments towards me. Since then he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel 9. So since they are official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9,” said Djokovic, who is bidding for an 11th Australian Open crown, in a video message on X.
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‘Awkward’ situation
Djokovic also apologised to American tennis legend Jim Courier, who was supposed to interview him on behalf of Channel 9, labelling the situation as “awkward”.
“I have nothing against Jim Courier or the Australian public. It was a very awkward situation for me to face on the court today. It is unfortunate I chose to say something to the crowd, but obviously there wasn’t the time and space or situation for me to explain what I’m doing right now. I leave it to Channel 9 to handle this the way they think they see fit. That’s all,” he added.
The Melbourne crowd booed Djokovic after he declined to speak with Jim Courier, who seemed taken aback by the Serb’s decision.
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