“The reason why I didn’t do an interview, that is common practice after the matches for the winner to do a post-match interview… is because a few days ago, a famous sports journalist from here in Australia who works for the main broadcaster of the Australian Open, Channel 9, decided to mock Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,” Djokovic explained in a selfie video shared to X.
“Since then, he chose not to issue any public apology, and neither did Channel 9. So, since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel 9.”
On Saturday, the former world No. 1 comfortably took down Jiri Lehecka in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to book a spot in the quarterfinals. When Courier approached him for the post-match interview, Djokovic instead took the microphone to briefly address the crowd, thanking fans for their support before quickly leaving the court.
Read More: Jim Courier: Channel 9 row may be “net positive” for fired up Novak Djokovic at Australian Open
