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American Tennis Player Criticizes Broadcasting and Interviewing Standards at the Australian Open


American tennis star Ben Shelton has expressed his dissatisfaction with Channel 9’s coverage of the Australian Open.

Following his victory against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, U.S. tennis player Ben Shelton used a media conference to criticize the quality of the Australian Open broadcast partner Channel 9.

This comes after a previous incident involving former world No. 1 player Novak Djokovic, who declined a post-match interview due to jokes made by one commentator towards Serbian fans.

During a press conference, Shelton stated, “I’ve been quite surprised this week by the treatment of players by the broadcasters, and I believe that the incident with Novak was not an isolated case.”

Shelton mentioned remarks made to Thai player Learner Tien after defeating Russian champion Daniil Medvedev in a tense five-set match on Jan. 16.

“I’ve observed similar incidents with other individuals, not just myself,” Shelton remarked.

“I saw it with Learner Tien … when he defeated Medvedev, the post-match interview seemed embarrassing and disrespectful.”

During the interview, commentator John Fitzgerald remarked to a confused Tien, “19-year-olds are not meant to be that good.”

He then added, “I used to live in Newport Beach [in California], so I know where you live, by the way.”

Shelton highlighted his own post-match interview where he was told that his opponent Gael Monfils was old enough to be his father, and even joked that Monfils could be his dad.

Shelton, whose father is former professional tennis player and coach Bryan Shelton, also mentioned an incident where he was asked how he felt “knowing no one would be cheering for him” at his next match.

“While it may be true, I don’t think that comment was respectful coming from someone I’ve never met before,” Shelton expressed.

“I believe that broadcasters should be promoting our sport and supporting the athletes who have just achieved significant victories on the big stage. There has been too much negativity, and that needs to change.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Channel 9 for a response.

The quality of sports commentary has been criticized recently, with established names retiring in various sports and former players stepping in without proper training or suitability.

Earlier in the week, Djokovic refused an on-court interview in protest against Channel 9 broadcaster Tony Jones’ actions.

During a live broadcast, Jones stood in front of Serbian fans mocking Djokovic before saying, “Novak, he’s over-rated. Novak’s a has-been, Novak, kick him out.”

“I’m glad they can’t hear me. Anyway, let’s talk about tennis now,” Jones added.

Djokovic felt the comments were disrespectful towards him and his fans, leading to Jones issuing a public apology later on.



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