Novak Djokovic has officially ended his boycott of Channel 9 after a source at the TV network told Yahoo Sport Australia on Tuesday he’d commit to a post-match on-court interview if he overpowered Carlos Alcaraz in Tuesday night’s quarter-final at the Australian Open. The 24-time grand slam winner has buried the hatchet with Channel 9 after a well-publicised falling out with the tournament broadcaster and was happy to field questions from court-side interviewer Jim Courier after beating Alcaraz 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 to advance to the semis.
The 37-year-old refused to be interviewed on court after winning his fourth-round match, angered by comments from Channel 9 host Tony Jones which Djokovic found offensive to the Serbian community. But the Djokovic camp has since accepted Jones’ apology and will now let the matter rest.
A source involved with Channel 9’s coverage told Yahoo Sport Australia on Tuesday: “We’ve been led to believe it will be business as usual should Novak be required for interview.” And that proved to be the case as Djokovic was happy to speak with Courier after a stunning win over Alcaraz in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Djokovic’s change of stance comes on the back of reports he will escape a fine for failing to engage with Courier on Sunday night. It’s believed Tennis Australia will take no action in a move that is sure to come in for heavy scrutiny amid concerns it sets a precedent.
Djokovic’s on-court boycott caught Courier by surprise but the American took no offence to the snub. “I certainly didn’t expect Novak to look at me with a quizzical look like, ‘Why are you out here?’” Courier told Tennis Channel Live. “I think he thought that we should have known that he wasn’t going to do that. I had no inside information.
“There was no problem on the court, but once he said he didn’t want to do the interview, that’s fine. We had a discussion in the hallway (with his management) and they wanted to make sure they knew that I knew that it wasn’t anything personal towards me (and) I certainly knew that.”
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But Courier did remind Djokovic’s entourage of the lost opportunity. “I said ‘look, you’re not just speaking to Channel 9 – I’m not out here representing Channel 9, I’m representing Tennis Australia – and this is an interview that goes out to the world. And it’s a chance for all these players, not just Novak, to communicate directly to their fans, and I hope that they’ll realise that there’s more opportunity for good there than making a point.”
Courier added: “While this is not a super great thing for the tournament, I think for Novak it might turn out to be a net positive because he is definitely motivated in a big way for lots of reasons.”
