At a press conference after the missed interview, Novak Djokovic announced that he would boycott interviews with the official TV broadcaster for the tournament until he receives an apology.
The background is that an expert in an earlier broadcast called the 37-year-old Serbian tennis star overrated and a "favourite child" – an insult to both him and the Serbian fans, according to Djokovic himself.
TV expert Tony Jones is now apologizing and says that it was all a joke.
I thought it was humorous, which is in line with most of what I do, he says in a TV broadcast on Monday.
But after being made aware that Novak Djokovic did not appreciate the remark, he apologized, according to his own statement.
I immediately contacted Djokovic's team and apologized – 48 hours ago – for any disrespect that Novak felt I had caused, says Tony Jones.
Now I can only stand by the apology.
He also apologizes to the Serbian fans who took offense.
We have built up a good relationship with the Serbian fans. It was meant to be humorous, and I thought what I did was a continuation of the humorous tone. Clearly, it hasn't been interpreted that way, says Jones and adds that he has "let down the Serbian fans".
