Tennis Australia has decided not to fine Novak Djokovic after skipping his on-court interview, which could lead to displeased commentary.
The former world No.1 ousted Jiří Lehečka in straight sets on Sunday night, but seemed agitated by disruptions from sections of the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
After the victory, Djokovic only acknowledged a small group of Serbian fans before taking the microphone from Jim Courier to say a few words and exit the court unexpectedly.
"Thank you very much for being here tonight," he told the crowd. "I appreciate your presence and support, and I'll see you in the next round. Thank you very much."
However, shortly afterwards, during his post-match press conference, Djokovic clarified why he didn't answer questions on court, referring to comments made by Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones as the main reason.
"Couple days ago, the famous sports journalist who works for [the] official broadcaster, Channel 9 here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me. 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 Serbian star explained.
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Jones, who presented the sports bulletin for Channel 9 news on Friday evening, quickly faced backlash after branding Djokovic "overrated" and a "has been" before ending with "kick him out".
The Serbian Council of Australia (SCOFA) took the situation as seriously as Djokovic, calling for Jones to make a formal apology and be relieved of his duties.
Despite Djokovic avoiding the standard practice of attending the on-court interview, the 37-year-old will not receive a fine.
It could lead to a dangerous path, as the ATP rulebook states: "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."
It means Djokovic avoids having to pay A$20,000, the sum issued for players ranked inside the top-10 who opt out of on-court interviews.
Tennis Australia has since released a statement following the controversy surrounding Djokovic and Jones.
"Novak Djokovic acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested, and is now moving on and focusing on his next match."
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