Tennis fans have lashed out at Channel Nine host Tony Jones for acting like he's on an episode of the Footy Show as he hosts the network's Australian Open coverage, with many objectingto his brand of humour.
The veteran sports reporter, 61, has been with Nine News Melbourne since the mid -'80s, covering AFL, cricket and the Olympics - occasionally making headlines for the wrong reasons.
His coverage of this year's Australian Open has been criticised on social media, with many tennis fans believing his 'footy humour' has no place on the tennis broadcast.
'When will @Channel9 & @AustralianOpen get Tony Jones is not a Tennis host? His surly antiquated footy humour doesn't work at the Tennis! @toddwoodbridge is not his Nathan Brown punching bag. Jelena is Gr8 kickn his butt! He's Just not funny or entertaining,' said one viewer.
Another tweeted: 'For god's sake, that old man shtick of Tony Jones is embarrassing and cringe. It's 2023.'
'@9NewsMelb please nine get Tony Jones off the tennis he is embarrassing to watch to old what does he know about tennis,' said a third.
'Can we please move #tonyjones on. He totally can't read the room. Inappropriate comment about @NickKyrgios,' tweeted another.
Jones has used jokes in an attempt to bring some colour to Nine's coverage, showing Aussie Olivia Gardecki fake texts from her mentor Ash Barty after she won her first-round match, and comparing co-host Dylan Alcott's haircut to the mop tops worn by the Beatles early in their careers.
It didn't go down well with tennis fans - and it's not the first time viewers have come after the veteran journalist, either.
Jones was slammed on social media in 2019 for his 'patronising' chat with Naomi Osaka after she defeated Petra Kvitova in the Australian Open final.
The interview got off to an awkward start when Jones quipped that he was 'not sure how you carried it all this way' after Naomi hauled the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to the Channel Nine set.
When Naomi was seemingly taken aback by the comment and smiled, Tony remarked: 'There's the smile.'
While some fans deemed that comment to be condescending, others took issue with the way he broached her heritage.
'Your grandparents back at Japan and you left Japan as three and you still regard yourself as a Japanese player,' he said.
'It took a time for your grandparents that you and your sisters wanted to play tennis and they finally came on board.'
In 2016 Jones' then-colleague at Nine, Rebecca Judd, famously pulled away and yelped when he tried to kiss her on her last day as the station's Melbourne weather presenter before she went on maternity leave.
