The continued Australian Open 2025 has been stuffed with controversies associated to interviews or tennis exhibits performed by broadcasters. In probably the most high-profile case this yr, it was Novak Djokovic who made his wrath recognized to the season-opening Grand Slam occasion’s organisers. On Sunday after he defeated Jiri Lehecka within the fourth spherical, Djokovic controversially refused a courtside interview with tennis legend Jim Courier.
Ben Shelton used an instance from his match towards Gael Monfils to assist Novak Djokovic.
Through the post-match press convention, Djokovic defined his actions, blaming 9 Community reporter Tony Jones and demanding an apology for offensive, racist insults. The explanation, he denied the interview, was as a result of 9 Community being the official broadcasters of the Grand Slam occasion in Melbourne.
Now even American ace Ben Shelton has joined the bandwagon and determined to speak concerning the questions thrown at him in post-match interviews in Melbourne. After beating Gael Monfils within the fourth spherical, he was requested if the Frenchman was sufficiently old to be ‘his dad’. Then after his quarter-final win vs Lorenzo Sonego, he was requested concerning the likelihood of not having any crowd if he confronted Alex de Minaur within the semi-finals.
Responding to these questions, and to an interview of Learner Tien after his win towards Daniil Medvedev within the second spherical, he mentioned, “I’ve been a little bit shocked this week with how players have been treated by the broadcasters.”
“I don’t think that the guy who mocked Novak, I don’t think that was just a single event. I’ve noticed it with different people, not just myself.
“I noticed it with Learner Tien in one of his matches. I think when he beat Medvedev his post-match interview, I thought it was kind of embarrassing and disrespectful that interview.
“There are some comments that have been made to me in post-match interviews by a couple of different guys, whether it was: ‘Hey, Monfils is old enough to be your dad. Maybe he is your dad.’
“Or today on the court: ‘Hey, Ben, how does it feel that no matter who you play in your next match, no one is going to be cheering for you?’ I mean, [that] may be true, but I just don’t think the comment is respectful from a guy I’ve never met before in my life.
“I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments. I feel like there’s just been a lot of negativity. I think that’s something that needs to change,” he added.
After beating Sonego, Shelton is ready to face World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in his semi-final fixture, on Friday. In the meantime, within the different males’s semi-final, Novak Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev.