Novak Djokovic is once again surrounded by controversy in the tennis world. The tennis legend is no stranger to such situations, and on Sunday (January 19th), another episode unfolded.

The Serb declined an on-court interview with Australian tennis legend and Channel 9 presenter Jim Courier. Djokovic briefly addressed the crowd before leaving the court, where he was met with a few boos. However, Djokovic clarified that his decision had nothing to do with the crowd.

Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones faced criticism in recent days for his controversial remarks about Djokovic and Serbian fans. Fans chanted behind Jones while he was on duty, which appeared to irritate him. Despite the backlash, Jones did not issue an apology.

Courier, who also works for Eurosport, stated that Djokovic confirmed to him there was no bad blood between them. Meanwhile, Djokovic spoke with Eurosport after the match and shared his thoughts on his performance.

Novak Djokovic played brilliantly on Sunday (January 19th) to secure a spot in the Australian Open quarter-finals. He defeated 24th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) at Rod Laver Arena. The win took him two hours and 39 minutes and tied him with Roger Federer for reaching 15 men’s singles quarter-finals at the tournament. Djokovic’s strong performance showed why he is a 10-time champion at Melbourne Park.

The 37-year-old Serbian controlled the match with consistent play from the baseline. Just as he did in his previous match against Tomas Machac, Djokovic stayed solid and limited his mistakes. He committed only 21 unforced errors, while Lehecka made 44. The Czech player struggled to find answers against Djokovic’s precision, especially during key moments of the match.

Lehecka started well but faltered during an important service game at 4-3 in the first set. A few errors and a double fault handed Djokovic a crucial break. Djokovic then served out the set confidently. In the second set, Djokovic broke Lehecka’s serve early and stayed strong, denying the Czech player any chance to fight back. Lehecka’s errors made it difficult for him to keep up.

The third set began with another break of serve by Djokovic. Lehecka managed to break back for the first time, making it 1-1. He showed flashes of brilliance with his powerful forehand but couldn’t maintain consistency. Djokovic held firm and closed out the match by winning the tie-break, his first tie-break win of 2025.