Nick Kyrgios, Australia’s tennis superstar and early exit at Australian Open competitor, once more made headlines by rallying to defend fellow heavyweight Novak Djokovic against an offending comment made by Australian broadcaster Tony Jones. Although Kyrgios did not perform particularly well himself on court during Australia Open he still made waves and made headlines over coming out against an inaccurate comment made against Djokovic made against by Australian journalist Tony Jones during one of their broadcast shows on ESPN and FOX sports networks.
On January 17th, Jones caused controversy while delivering a sports bulletin for Nine News and making comments about Djokovic’s enthusiastic fan support. A clip circulating online shows her making disparaging remarks against Djokovic with fans all around her; her commentary included words to this effect such as, “Novak is overrated; Novak’s been there too long; Novak should kick him out”. Her remarks caused outrage among tennis fans while Kyrgios quickly took to social media calling Jones out as being offensive while criticizing his physical fitness as well.
Kyrgios’s defense of Djokovic isn’t new; their friendship has seen Kyrgios support Djokovic on several occasions, including during controversies surrounding Djokovic’s stance on vaccination and his visa cancellation for the 2022 Australian Open. Djokovic has appreciated Kyrgios’s support, highlighting the genuine camaraderie between them, which even led to a doubles partnership at the Brisbane International.
Danielle Collins Also Clashes with Tony Jones
Kyrgios and Djokovic’s rivalry at the Australian Open isn’t limited to just Kyrgios and Djokovic; American tennis player Danielle Collins responded strongly to Jones’s critique after Jones called her out as being “brat-like” following her post-match remarks, dismissing Jones’s views via social media with strong criticisms against her post match comments as well. To which Collins responded by showing disdain for Jones opinion.
As the Australian Open progresses, it will become clearer whether Tony Jones’ comments prompted any reconciliation among players or further reactions from them.