
After a build-up dominated by Novak Djokovic’s botched visa controversy, the Australian Open was finally able to emerge from its political shadow on Monday and stage a drama strictly of a sporting variety.
The commencement of actual tennis will have arrived as a welcome relief for tired fans and beleaguered organisers alike, with the embittered world No 1 in the air en route home to Belgrade when the first ball was mercifully struck inside the Rod Laver Arena.