Novak Djokovic talking and gesturing to the crowd after his fourth round match at the Australian Open.

Nearly everyone Down Under usually gets positive press. All the major presses have been covering the romances, the player endurance, the crowd-appearances — even Jannick Sinner and Iga Swiatek got a break from scrutiny for their positive drug tests. Everyone, but… Novak Djokovic.

Ever since Novak Djokovic attempted to enter the country in 2022 unvaccinated and under strict quarantine and vaccination mandates, he cannot seem to win over the media down under. The most decorated player on tour is back in the bad graces of both the normally sanguine Australian press and the Djokovic-conflicted international press, after he refused to grant both on-court interviews and media appearances with national outlet Channel Nine until he received an apology from veteran broadcaster Tony Jones. Last Friday, Jones, on-air, said “Welcome back to Melbourne Park, where you can see the Novak Djokovic fans, they’re in full voice. The chants are quite extraordinary,” Jones said, before shouting to the fans: “Novak, he’s overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out.”

Tony Jones (left); Jim Courier trying to convince Djokovic to talk on court; Djokovic announcing his decision and the apology.

Jim Courier — working for Channel Nine — tried to convince the Djoker to muster some words after advancing into the quarter-finals, but the Serbian made himself clear during his post-match presser: “Couple days ago the famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster Channel Nine here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me,” he said. “And since then, he chose not to issue any public apology. Neither did Channel Nine. So since they’re official broadcasters, I chose not to give interviews for Channel Nine.”

Jones caved on Monday, saying it was about “banter” not overzealous supporters, or even the 10-time AO champion. “The disrespect extends to the Serbian fans — over the years here there has been colour with them and passion and banter, and I thought that was an extension of that banter. Quite clearly that hasn't been interpreted that way. I do feel I've let down the Serbian fans. I'm not just saying that to wriggle out of trouble. I genuinely feel for those fans.

“I was made aware on the Saturday morning from Tennis Australia, via the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments. I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them — 48 hours ago — for any disrespect which Novak felt I had caused.”

Coco Gauff in her custom-designed New Balance kit after winning her third-round match.

In other court news, the final eight on each side of the draw have been slotted in the bracket board. Jannik Sinner (ATP No. 1) overcame some sort of morning sickness to defeat the 13th-seeded Holger Rune in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 battle. “I didn’t even warm up today, trying to go on court as fit as I could. I knew in my mind before the match that I would struggle today,” Sinner said. He will next face hometown favorite Alex de Minaur (ATP No. 8). Meanwhile, Ben Shelton (ATP No. 20) took out fan pleaser Gael Monfils (ATP No. 41), who at age 38, played some of the most phenomenal tennis of his recent career, while American Tommy Paul (ATP No. 11) faces Alexander Zverev (ATP No. 2) and a contrite Djokovic takes on Carlos Alcaraz (ATP No. 3).

On the women’s side, the surprises have ceased as championship defender Aryna Sabalenka (WTA No. 1) and the retooled Iga Swiatek (WTA No. 2) roll on through the season’s first slam. Sabalenka takes on junior standout, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who has shown up for the fashion slam in self-designed tennis dresses and satin bomber jackets, while Swiatek will play American stand-out Emma Navarro (WTA No. 8). Coco Gauff (WTA No. 3), who also recently switched coaches, is up against Paula Badosa (WTA No. 12) with defeated boyfriend Stefanos Tsistipas by her side and Elina Svitolina (WTA No. 27) struggles to stay in good form against the newly married Madison Keys (WTA No. 14).

Rally: All Things Racquet (Demo Above)

Rally, conceived of and designed by two long-time players is both a booking interface on Kickstarter and an AI-powered concierge that:

1. Allows players to find, book and pay for both public and private pickle, Padel and tennis courts around the world with the tap of a phone
2. Gives users choice among surfaces, dates, locations and times to play their favorite racquet sports
3. Permits private clubs to sell their unused court time on the main app and gives them a bespoke white-label booking app for their members
4. Matches players with coaches to help them increase their business at public/private courts, and
5. Provides easy access to peer-to-peer hitting, as well as sessions with professional “sparring partners,” stringing, equipment purchasing and all things tennis, padel and pickleball.

For now, players can check out plans for the app on the Rally website — with free access to some of the best tips and tricks for your game.