An Australian broadcaster has apologised to Novak Djokovic for comments he made on TV that the 24-time Grand Slam champion considered "insulting and offensive".

Channel Nine's Tony Jones shouted "Novak, he's overrated, Novak's a has-been, Novak kick him out" towards Djokovic fans while live on air at the Australian Open on Friday.

As a result, Djokovic refused to do his usual on-court interview after Sunday's fourth-round win over Jiri Lehecka because of Channel Nine being official broadcasters of the tournament.

Speaking at a news conference afterwards, Djokovic said Jones had "made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments towards me".

The 37-year-old added that it "was a very awkward situation for me".

Djokovic, a 10-time champion at Melbourne Park, plays world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Channel Nine also apologised, saying "no harm was intended towards Novak or his fans".

The Serbian Council of Australia has called for Jones to be sacked, saying his comments were "offensive, racist and only serve to incite further discrimination of Australian-Serbs".

Jones said he particularly felt he had "overstepped the mark" with his "kick him out" comment - which he accepted could be interpreted as a reference to Djokovic's 2022 deportation from Australia because of the country's Covid-19 regulations.