Channel Nine has excluded veteran sports anchor Tony Jones from its Wimbledon 2025 coverage following controversial remarks he made about Novak Djokovic during January's Australian Open.
The 63-year-old presenter, who has been a longtime fixture of the network's Wimbledon broadcasts, will remain in Melbourne whilst the tournament unfolds in London.
Jones sparked outrage when he called Djokovic "overrated" and a "has-been" during a live broadcast, adding "kick him out" in comments widely interpreted as referencing the Serbian star's 2021 deportation from Australia.
The incident led to Djokovic boycotting courtside interviews until receiving a public apology.
Tony Jones will not be travelling to Wimbledon with Channel Nine this year
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During the Australian Open broadcast, Jones made his inflammatory remarks whilst engaging with the crowd.
He said: "Novak's overrated. Novak's a has-been. Novak, kick him out... Boy, I'm glad they can't hear me."
The comments drew immediate backlash from the tennis world and even Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
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Novak Djokovic felt the remarks were 'disrespectful' and refused to participate in interviews with Tony Jones
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Djokovic labelled the remarks "disrespectful" and refused to participate in courtside interviews with the broadcaster.
Serbia's ambassador to Australia, Rade Stefanovic, expressed "profound concern" to Channel Nine.
"Never has an Australian athlete been insulted and disrespected in such a way by the media or any public official in Serbia," the ambassador stated.
Jones subsequently issued a detailed public apology on Channel Nine.
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He said: "If I could turn back time, right, and I know we've all got PhDs in hindsight, I think the one thing where I overstepped the mark, and this is certainly what's really sort of angered Novak Djokovic and his camp, is the last comment I made in that back and forth with the crowd 'kick him out'."
He acknowledged the phrase could "only be interpreted as a throwback to the COVID years when he [Djokovic] was kicked out [over his vaccination status]."
Channel Nine also formally apologised: "Nine would like to apologise to Novak Djokovic for any offence caused from comments made during a recent live cross. No harm was intended towards Novak or his fans."
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Both Tony Jones and Channel Nine issued apologies after the incident
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Instead of Jones, Channel Nine will utilise its London bureau and fly in tennis experts Todd Woodbridge, Alicia Molik, Sam McClure and Jelena Dokic for commentary duties.
The tournament begins next Monday, with Djokovic aiming to equal Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles.
Victory would also see him surpass Margaret Court's tally of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic reached last year's final but lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.
Earlier this year, he revealed he still experiences "trauma" when passing through Australian immigration due to his 2021 deportation, checking whether officials might "detain me again or let me go."
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