India, Jan. 23 -- The ongoing Australian Open 2025 has been marred by controversies surrounding interviews and tennis broadcasts. A notable incident involved Novak Djokovic, who expressed his displeasure towards the event's organizers following his victory over Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round. Djokovic controversially declined to participate in a courtside interview with tennis icon Jim Courier.

During the subsequent press conference, Djokovic elaborated on his decision, attributing it to remarks made by Nine Network reporter Tony Jones, for which he demanded an apology due to perceived offensive and racist comments. He clarified that his refusal was linked to Nine Network being the official broadcaster of the Grand Slam in Melbourne.

American player Ben Shelton has also weighed in on the matter, addressing the nature of questions posed to him during post-match interviews in Melbourne. After his victory against Gael Monfils in the fourth round, he was queried about whether the French player was old enough to be his father. Following his quarter-final win over Lorenzo Sonego, he faced questions regarding the potential absence of a crowd if he were to compete against Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals.

In response to these inquiries, as well as to an interview with Learner Tien after his win against Daniil Medvedev in the second round, Shelton remarked, "I have been somewhat taken aback this week by the treatment of players by the broadcasters."

"I don't believe the incident involving Novak was an isolated case. I have observed similar behavior towards various players, not just myself."

"I noticed it with Learner Tien during one of his matches. After he defeated Medvedev, I found the post-match interview to be quite embarrassing and disrespectful."

"There have been comments directed at me in post-match interviews by a few different individuals, such as: 'Hey, Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Perhaps he is your dad.'"

Today on the court, a comment was made: "Hey, Ben, how does it feel knowing that regardless of your next opponent, no one will be supporting you?" While this may hold some truth, I find the remark to be disrespectful, especially coming from someone I have never encountered before.

I believe that broadcasters should play a role in promoting our sport and assisting athletes who have just achieved significant victories on a prominent stage to relish their accomplishments. There seems to be an abundance of negativity, and I think this is an aspect that requires improvement, he remarked.

Following his victory over Sonego, Shelton is scheduled to compete against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Friday. In the other men's semi-final, Novak Djokovic will take on Alexander Zverev.

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