Australian broadcaster Tony Jones has expressed regret to Novak Djokovic for remarks he made on Friday night that the 10-time Australian Open champion found “disrespectful and hurtful.”

Djokovic took a stand by skipping the customary on-court interview after his fourth-round victory on Sunday, stating he wouldn’t address Channel Nine, the tournament’s Australian rights holder, until Jones apologized.

Serbian supporters gathered outside Channel Nine’s broadcast area at Melbourne Park on Friday when Jones referred to the 24-time Grand Slam champion as “overrated” and a “has-been.” Initially, Jones claimed he was joking, but later provided a private apology to the “Djokovic camp” once it became apparent his comments were not received lightly.

“I stand by my apology to Novak,” he said. “We have developed a good relationship with the Serbian audience, and my remarks were meant to be taken lightly, which clearly was not how they were understood.”

Tennis Australia stated that Djokovic, who is set to play against world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, is ready to move past the issue.

“This has been an unfortunate incident, and it has caused personal distress for Novak,” Jones noted, “and it has undeniably caused me personal anguish as well.”

Jannik Sinner endures oppressive heat, while Gael Monfils withdraws

Jannik Sinner fought through illness to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals on Monday, but the demanding conditions of Grand Slam tennis proved overwhelming for French veteran Gael Monfils and American teenager Learner Tien.

The intense heat didn’t help defending champion Sinner, who began to struggle physically during the second set of his fourth-round match against Dane Holger Rune on a sweltering afternoon at Rod Laver Arena.

The top seed refrained from going into specifics about his condition, but he acknowledged experiencing dizziness before a lengthy medical break in the third set that turned the tide in his favor, leading to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.

“I wasn’t feeling well,” admitted Sinner, 23, who tied the Italian record held by Nicky Pietrangeli by advancing to his 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal.

“We saw that I was struggling physically. I arrived as close to match time as possible, knowing it would be very difficult today.”

Monfils, 38, had to retire due to a back injury while trailing young American Ben Shelton 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2), 1-0, concluding his inspiring run at the year’s first Grand Slam following his victory in Auckland.

Unseeded Lorenzo Sonego became the second Italian man to reach the quarterfinals by defeating a limping 19-year-old American qualifier Tien in four sets, having also eliminated Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca in the second round.

Tien, attempting to be the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals since Goran Ivanisevic achieved it at 17 in 1989, showed signs of physical discomfort after needing to stretch his strapped thigh following a double fault.

Iga Swiatek, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys progress

Dominant Iga Swiatek decisively defeated German lucky loser Eva Lys with a score of 6-0, 6-1 on Monday, easily advancing to the quarterfinals of this year’s first Grand Slam for a second time.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek entered the match having lost only 10 games throughout the tournament, and she delivered another strong performance in 59 minutes on Rod Laver Arena, sending a clear message to her competitors for the title.

“Great, that was my first night session, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to play on Rod Laver Arena,” Swiatek said.

Meanwhile, American Madison Keys pulled off an upset against sixth seed Elena Rybakina, winning 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in a thrilling match at Margaret Court Arena, extending her winning streak to nine matches this year.

Rybakina appeared to struggle with a lower back issue that had also impacted her in the third round, allowing Keys to play aggressively to counter her powerful serve and dominate the rallies.

“Her serve is a major weapon, so I knew I had a chance if I could make at least some of her service games challenging,” explained Keys, the 19th seed, who celebrated her third victory over a top-10 player this month.

Australian Open Day 9 results

Men’s singles

• 1-Jannik Sinner (ITA) defeated 13-Holger Rune (DNK) 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2
• 8-Alex De Minaur (AUS) defeated Alex Michelsen (USA) 6-0 7-6(5) 6-3
• 21-Ben Shelton (USA) defeated Gael Monfils (FRA) 7-6(3) 6-7(3) 7-6(2) (Retired)
• Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) defeated Learner Tien (USA) 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-1

Women’s singles

• 19-Madison Keys (USA) defeated 6-Elena Rybakina (KAZ) 6-3 1-6 6-3
• 28-Elina Svitolina (UKR) defeated Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) 6-4 6-1
• 8-Emma Navarro (USA) defeated 9-Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 6-4 5-7 7-5
• 2-Iga Swiatek (POL) defeated Eva Lys (DEU) 6-0 6-1

Contributing: Reuters