Sports
Australian Broadcaster Apologizes to Djokovic After On-Air Comments
Channel Nine and presenter Tony Jones have issued public apologies to Novak Djokovic following remarks made during live coverage of the Australian Open that the tennis champion found “insulting and offensive.”
During a live broadcast on Friday, Jones directed comments toward Djokovic fans, saying, “Novak, he’s overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak kick him out.” Djokovic refused to participate in the customary post-match interview after his fourth-round victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday, citing Channel Nine’s role as tournament broadcasters.
Djokovic called the remarks disrespectful to him and his Serbian fans, stating, “It was a very awkward situation for me.”
Jones addressed the incident during Channel Nine’s Monday broadcast, expressing regret and labeling his comments as “banter and humor” that were misinterpreted.
“I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology 48 hours ago,” Jones said. “I feel I’ve let down Serbian fans and Novak. The ‘kick him out’ comment, which Novak connected to his 2022 deportation, was overstepping the mark.”
He added that he had offered to meet Djokovic in person to apologize and hoped the meeting could happen soon.
Channel Nine also issued a statement, emphasizing that “no harm was intended towards Novak or his fans.” However, the Serbian Council of Australia condemned the remarks as “offensive, racist, and inciting discrimination against Australian-Serbs” and called for Jones to be removed from his role.
Tennis Australia confirmed that Djokovic had acknowledged the public apology and was focusing on his next match. “Novak is moving on and concentrating on his performance,” the organization said.
Sports
Prograis announces retirement after Benn Defeat in Emotional Farewell
Former world champion Regis Prograis has officially announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 37, following a decisive defeat to Conor Benn on Saturday night.
The bout, held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, marked the end of Prograis’ distinguished career, with the American revealing afterward that he had already made the decision to retire well before stepping into the ring.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, Prograis disclosed that the fight had long been planned as his farewell appearance. “Going in, I knew I was going to retire. This is my last fight. I knew this months ago – I just didn’t tell anybody but I was terrified going into this,” he said.
Despite the loss, Prograis reflected positively on his final outing, highlighting the scale of the event and the calibre of his opponent. Facing Benn in front of a crowd of around 70,000 provided what he described as the perfect stage to conclude his career. “It’s a great fight to be my last against someone like Conor Benn, someone that was strong – an arena like this with 70,000 in a stadium. I couldn’t ask for a better going away party, perfect end to my story,” he added.
In a candid admission, Prograis also confirmed pre-fight concerns about his physical condition. Reports suggesting he had been dealing with an injury were accurate, he said, revealing that he had seriously considered withdrawing from the contest as recently as 24 hours before fight night.
“The rumours about me being hurt were true. I wanted to pull out of this fight so bad a month ago but kept pushing. I was terrified and thinking about pulling out even yesterday,” Prograis explained.
The former two-time super-lightweight world champion retires with a professional record of 30 wins and four losses, including 24 victories by knockout. Over the course of his career, he captured the WBA super-lightweight title in 2019 and later added the WBC version of the belt, cementing his place among the division’s elite fighters.
Sports
Salah and Ngumoha Fire Liverpool Past Fulham in Premier League Clash
Liverpool FC secured an important Premier League victory over Fulham FC, with goals from Mohamed Salah and rising talent Rio Ngumoha sealing the win.
Salah once again proved decisive, continuing his consistent attacking output with a key contribution that helped set the tone for Liverpool’s performance. The Egyptian forward remains central to Liverpool’s title ambitions, delivering when it matters most.
Ngumoha, meanwhile, added further gloss to the result, underlining his growing reputation with a composed finish. His contribution highlights Liverpool’s ability to blend experience with emerging youth talent.
The victory strengthens Liverpool’s position in the Premier League standings as they maintain pressure in the race at the top, while Fulham are left to regroup after a difficult outing.
Overall, it was a controlled and efficient performance from Liverpool, with both established stars and new faces stepping up at a crucial stage of the season.
Sports
Nike investigating issue with World Cup kits
Nike is investigating a design flaw affecting several national team kits ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, after visible issues emerged during the recent international break.
The problem, described as bulging around the shoulder seams, has been particularly on kits worn by teams including England national football team, France national football team, and Uruguay national football team.
A spokesperson for Nike acknowledged the issue, noting that while player performance is not affected, the visual quality “is not where it needs to be.” The company emphasized that it is working swiftly to resolve the problem for both players and fans.
Nike supplies kits for a wide range of teams participating in the tournament, including co-host nations Canada and United States, as well as countries such as Brazil, Netherlands, Croatia, and South Korea.
The seam issue appears on both the high-performance “match” shirts worn by players and the more widely sold “stadium” versions for supporters, prompting complaints from fans who have already purchased the kits. In the UK, the England stadium shirt is priced at £89.99, while the match version retails at £134.99.
Nike has been the official kit manufacturer for England’s men’s and women’s teams since 2013, and the company reiterated its commitment to maintaining high product standards.
The kits were engineered with performance cooling technology to help players cope with the expected high temperatures during matches across the host countries—United States, Canada, and Mexico—when the tournament kicks off on 11 June.
England are scheduled to begin their campaign on 17 June against Croatia national football team in Arlington, Texas, while Scotland national football team will face Haiti national football team on 14 June in Massachusetts.
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