Game. Set. Chompers.

Game. Set. Chompers.

Dylan Leach

One of the most read, liked, shared, and complained-about articles ever to appear on the Neds blog was “Eight Reasons Why Novak Djokovic is a Flog.”

After last night’s events at the Australian Open, we could have easily republished it and added a ninth reason.

Novak Djokovic’s refusal to do a post-match interview with Jim Courier following his straight-sets win over Jiří Lehečka—because he’s “protesting against Channel Nine” over Tony Jones’ so-called “mockery of Serbian fans”—is, for lack of a better word, pathetic.

Djokovic stated:
“A couple of days ago, a famous sports journalist who works for the official broadcaster, Channel Nine, here in Australia, made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me.”

The only thing Tony Jones should apologize for is the fact that his joke was a bit daggy and cringe-worthy, that’s it.

For those unfamiliar, during a live cross, the ever-enthusiastic “Chompers” tried to be humorous while Serbian fans loudly chanted and celebrated in the background.

His gag wasn’t exactly top-tier comedy, but it was nothing more than a harmless attempt at banter as Jones himself explained it on The Today Show during his forced apology:

“The comments were made on the news on Friday night, which I considered to be banter. I considered it to be humour, which is consistent with most things I do.”

In an era of outrage culture and context-free viral clips, it was only a matter of time before social media jumped on the moment, escalating it into a full-blown controversy.

As Melbourne radio host Mark Allen astutely pointed out on 3AW, had it been someone like Mick Molloy or Sam Pang (or even yours truly in a Neds Street Talk segment) delivering the same joke, there wouldn’t have been nearly as much uproar. (Well, except perhaps from my bosses, who’d likely worry about my safety!)

If anything, I feel qualified to comment on lame sports jokes and banter, given the feedback I receive.

Let’s not forget, if Jones had aimed his daggy antics at someone like Nick Kyrgios or Danielle Collins, they’d have shot back with some sass or witty comebacks, and we’d all move on with a laugh.

The pearl-clutching from sections of the tennis fraternity, media and hardcore fans is baffling but hardly surprising.

The same crowd who pay top dollar for a night session at Rod Laver Arena are usually the first to burst into fits of laughter at even the slightest attempt at humor from a ball kid or Jim Courier’s post-match quips.

But here’s the real kicker: the biggest winners in all of this are the crew from The Sunday Footy Show.

For years, they’ve thrived on content featuring TJ’s finest moments—whether it’s him chowing down on KFC, players calling him “Chompers,” or that unforgettable moment with Bec Judd.

Djokovic’s “protest” has handed them a goldmine of new material that could keep them going for another 30 years.

So while Djokovic might go on to claim yet another Grand Slam, the real victory here belongs to The Sunday Footy Show.

Their first episode of the year just became must-see television.

In the end, had someone in Djokovic’s camp simply called Jones “Chompers” on live TV, the whole thing could have been diffused with a laugh.

Novak would have had the last word, we’d all enjoy the moment, and life would go on.

Instead, here we are in the middle of a storm in a teacup, and when the dust settles, there’s only one clear winner: advantage, The Sunday Footy Show.

 

Dylan Leach is one of the chief Nuffies in the Neds content team. The views, thoughts, and ramblings are his and not that of the company.