Novak Djokovic comments row escalates as complaint made to Human Rights Commission

The warfare of words betwixt Novak Djokovic and Tony Jones has escalated with an authoritative ailment being made to the Human Rights Commission arsenic the Australian Open threatens to beryllium overshadowed

The Serbian Council of Australia has submitted an authoritative ailment to the Human Rights Commission implicit presenter Tony Jones' comments astir Novak Djokovic.

The ailment represents a large escalation successful the warfare of words betwixt the duo, contempt Jones having apologised straight to the tennis superstar. The Channel Nine presenter recovered himself successful blistery h2o aft hosting a bundle from Melbourne Park past Friday.

Jones was stood with a assemblage of radical holding Serbian flags and chanting successful the background. He joined successful with the tune of the chant, though substituted words of enactment for Djokovic with disparaging remarks astir the 10-time Australian Open champion.

“Welcome backmost to Melbourne Park, we tin spot the Novak Djokovic fans determination successful afloat voice, the chants are rather extraordinary,” Jones said. “Novak, he’s overrated. Novak is simply a has been. Novak, footwear him out. Well, I americium gladsome they can’t perceive me. Anyway, let’s get connected to the tennis.”

Djokovic has refused to instrumentality portion successful court-side interviews since the comments were broadcast. Jones did apologise, but could find himself successful further occupation aft the SCOA lodged a ailment for 'mocking' the Australian-Serbian fans.

“Evidence from assemblage members suggests that Mr Jones invited the Australian-Serbian fans earlier a unrecorded broadcast and asked them to statesman chanting and cheering. The fans were led to judge that they would beryllium filmed arsenic portion of a Channel Nine conception connected Australian Open fans,” a connection from the Council read.

“However, the footage shows Mr Jones mocking the Australian-Serbian fans down him done his comments and assemblage language. Mr Jones started the broadcast by saying that ‘Novak, he’s overrated’. He proceeds to exclaim that ‘Novak’s a has been. Novak, footwear him out’.

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“For Australian-Serbs, the words ‘kick him out’ is akin to saying ‘kick the Serbs retired of Australia ’ due to the fact that determination is beardown grounds of feelings of exclusion owed to media reporting astir Australian Serbs successful the past.”

The Council has besides demanded that Jones beryllium stood down from each sports broadcasting duties astatine Channel Nine. Jones has revealed helium has apologised straight to Djokovic's campy and claimed the 'kick him out' remark was a notation to the enactment implicit Covid-19 vaccinations, which saw Djokovic disqualified from the 2022 Australian Open.

“The comments were made connected the quality connected the Friday night, which I considered to beryllium banter. I considered it to beryllium humour, which is accordant with astir things I do,” helium said. "Having said that, I was made alert connected Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic campy was not blessed astatine each with those comments.

"As specified I instantly contacted the Djokovic campy and issued an apology to them - 48 hours agone - for immoderate disrespect that Novak felt, that I had caused. As I basal present now, I basal by that apology to Novak if helium felt immoderate disrespect, which rather intelligibly helium does.

“I tin basal present and enactment immoderate rotation I privation connected that, but it tin lone beryllium interpreted arsenic a throwback to the Covid years erstwhile helium was kicked out. That has angered Novak, which I wholly understand.

“I tin only, again, archer Novak what I told him 48 hours agone — and that is that I bash apologise if helium felt I disrespected him."