"Should be banned for life" - After controversial Novak Djokovic comments, Viktor Troicki calls out Tony Jones

Former Serbian tennis player, Viktor Troicki came out in support of his compatriot Novak Djokovic. He slammed Australian news network, Channel Nine, for not firing reporter Tony Jones after his derogatory comments on the 24-time Grand Slam Champion. He called the TV channel out on their unprofessionalism in dealing with this issue.

Ahead of Serbia's clash with Denmark at the Davis Cup, the Serbian team's coach, Troicki, gave an interview to Bolavip in Copenhagen. He shared his thoughts on the matter.

“There was the situation around channel nine, which I noticed as well. If I had hired that journalist (Tony Jones, ed.), I would have fired him straight away. He would never work in sports again,” he said.

“To mock an athlete during the tournament is unacceptable. I don´t think an apology is enough. I think he should be banned for life from covering tennis,” he added.

The Serb ended his interview by sympathizing with Djokovic, as he felt that the Australians and their media have been treating the star player with disrespect, since the COVID-19 era. Earlier, Djokovic skipped the 2022 Australian Open due to his vaccination status.

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Rafael Nadal's ex-coach says that the lack of authenticity of Novak Djokovic's injuries was the reason for crowd protests

Novak Djokovic at the post-match press conference of AO 25 - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic was greeted with boos by the crowd, as he made his exit from the 2025 Australian Open after giving a walkover to Alexander Zverev at the semifinals of the tournament. Rafael Nadal's uncle and ex-coach, Toni Nadal, let his views known on this matter in his column at the El Pais news.

Toni highlighted that the primary reason might have been fans' frustration because they expected a great show of tennis. Moreover, Djokovic's histrionics have also built a sort of distrust among fans, as per him.

Toni also elaborated on how after an MTO against Alcaraz, the Serb made a swift comeback and won the match like nothing had happened. Hence, the crowd probably mistook it as one such "trick" and jeered the player.

The 37-year-old later posted an image of his x-ray, for the 'injury experts.'

However, Toni Nadal pitied the Serb, as Djokovic had to accept such adversities from the crowd while going through a probably career-threatening injury. There has not been any update on his health since the incident. As per ESPN's Chris Fowler, Novak Djokovic might be out of the court for a couple of months.