The 2025 Australian Open has been an eventful tournament so far. While the action on the court has been top-notch, controversies haven’t been afar. A few days back, Novak Djokovic came into the spotlight after he skipped the on-court interview after his match. This came after commentator Tony Jones called the Serb ‘overrated’ on air. This created quite a storm and became a talking point at the tournament. Earlier today, Ben Shelton called out the commentators and Chris Evert agreed to Shelton’s scathing criticism of the commentators at the tournament.

Referring to Djokovic’s incident during his post-match press conference, Shelton said, “I don’t think that was just a single event. I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself. I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments. I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity. I think that’s something that needs to change.”

Reacting to Shelton’s thoughts about the commentators, Evert backed him and said, “I agree with Ben. Sometimes, on court interviewers try to be funny or make it about themselves…. In saying that, @RealJimCourier is excellent in that role…”

Amid a hostile Australian Open crowd, the matter was made worse after Jones directed personal remarks toward Djokovic. Subsequently, Djokovic strongly protested Jones’ remarks and snubbed the on-court interview with Jim Courier. Additionally, the Serb also wanted Jones to apologize for his statements, following which the commentator issued a public apology.

Initially, it wasn’t clear why Djokovic left the court abruptly without giving the on-court interview. However, during the post-match press conference, he revealed that Jones had made a mockery of him and the Serbian fans with his remarks, which didn’t go down well with him.

While the incident threatened to derail the Australian Open, Jones’ apology came at the right time ahead of Djokovic’s semifinal encounter. Subsequently, Tennis Australia also released a statement about the episode.

Tennis Australia confirms Jones’ apology to Novak Djokovic

After Jones’ remarks about Djokovic went viral, the Serb demanded a public apology from him. After Jones accepted his fault and apologized to Djokovic, it ended the latter’s protest ahead of a crucial encounter in the last four of the Australian Open. Jones’ apology was even confirmed by Tennis Australia in their statement.

It read, “Novak acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested and is now moving on and focusing on his next match. No harm was intended towards Novak or his fans. We look forward to further showcasing his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park.”

With this, Djokovic can now fully focus on the big task at hand, that is, winning the semifinal match on Friday. He will face Alexander Zverev, who is the tournament’s second seed.