Veteran Channel Nine reporter Tony Jones has found himself in the headlines due to his run-in with Novak Djokovic and the entire contingent of Serbian fans at the Australian Open. Djokovic left the Rod Laver Arena in a blaze of controversy after his fourth round match against Jiri Lehecka refusing to the customary on-court interview after winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). The 24-time Grand Slam winner then revealed in a video posted on his X page that he had done so in protest of comments made by the “famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel Nine”.
While he didn’t name him specifically, it was pretty clear that Djokovic was talking about Jones. On Friday, Jones presented in front of a group of Djokovic supporters who were carrying Serbian flags at Melbourne Park and told viewers, “Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans. They’re in full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary.”
He then turned to face them and pantomimed some sledging chants of his own. “Novak, he’s overrated,” Jones sang. “Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out. Boy, I’m glad they can’t hear me. Anyway, let’s get on to the Tennis.” After Djokovic’s boycott, in which he demanded that Jones put out a public apology, the latter did the same. He said that he understood that he had made a mistake and that it has would be seen as a reference to the incidents that eventually led to Djokovic being forced out of Australia ahead of the 2022 tournament, something that the 24-time Grand Slam champion said that he is still traumatised by.
Jones, who has been with Network Nine for 38 years, has been at the centre of several controversies before.
Trying to kiss a fellow presenter
In 2013, Jones asked fellow presenter Rebecca Judd if she wants to “come ’round for a barbie (Australian slang for barbeque)” on live news. Judd simply responded, “No, thanks.” Three years later, Jones tried to kiss a pregnant Judd’s cheek on live TV wishing her good luck before she went on maternity leave. Judd flinched away while giggling. Both clips have gone viral, with the latter garnering significant controversy but Judd herself held no ill-will against Jones.
Awkward interview with Naomi Osaka
Jones was widely slammed in 2019 for an interview with Naomi Osaka right after she had beaten Petra Kvitova to win the singles title at the Australian Open, with the general consensus seemingly being that the presenter was “patronising” towards the star.
-The interview started off with with Jones quipping that he was not sure how Osaka carried the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup all the way to the studio. Osaka didn’t really know how to respond to that and Jones said: “There’s the smile.” Jones was also criticised for the questions he asked in the interview which had little to do with Osaka’s playing career and were about her shopping habits and even about her Japanese heritage.
Joking with Todd Woodbridge and calling Danielle Collins a “brat”
Australian great Todd Woodbridge was co-hosting with Jones during the 2023 Australian Open and the latter was engaging in some banter with the 16-time doubles Grand Slam winner. However, fans felt that he was taking it too far. Some noted that Jones was treating Woodbridge like “punching bag”.
This year, he berated American Danielle Collins for how she responded to the fans in Melbourne booing her. Collins had said that she didn’t really mind the booing as she said that despite people hating her, “they actually pay your bills” by attending the matches to boo her. “My view is she’s a brat,” Jones later said. “When you get people like Danielle Collins who lives this (lavish) lifestyle and then rubs our noses in it… I thought it overstepped the mark.”
Collins, though, said that she liked how someone “this old” called her a brat “so Gen Z and millennial right now, it’s Charli XCX”. She then said that she would like to see Jones dance the way the pop star does and the latter even accepted the challenge.
