Novak Djokovic will be able to play the Australian Open in 2023, according to the tournament director.
After an explosive saga which saw the world no 1 twice have his visa revoked, Djokovic was deported out of Australia last Sunday having failed in his appeal against being deported.
Despite not being vaccinated against Covid-19, the Serbian had initially been given a medical exemption to compete in Melbourne by tournament organisers, only to be held by border force officials upon his arrival down under.
His lawyers successfully filed an injunction against him being flown home, pending an appeal - which he won - only for immigration minister Alex Hawke to again his cancel his visa - before Djokovic had to admit to flaunting isolation rules in December and submitting false information on his immigration forms.
It left the 34-year-old facing a three-year ban from returning to the country, and prompted calls for CEO of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley to resign for his handling of the affair.
However, Tiley, has stayed put, and now said he expects the nine-time winner to be back in 12 months' time.
“Yes. Obviously, he's got to play out this year, but that will be his intention. At the end of the day, he's the no 1 player in the world and he really loves the Australian Open," he told reporters.
"But it’s really important to note that there’s no person, there’s no organisation that is bigger than the event itself.”
Tiley was also adamant Djokovic would not be suing Tennis Australia for compensation, instead blaming the Serbian's ordeal on “contradiction and complexity with information” over border rules.
However, Tiley's latest comments again appear at odds with the Australian Government, who have already stated that any future visa application from Djokovic will be assessed “on its merits."
Victorian Premier Daniel Andews hasn't been as diplomatic, maintaining: “My position is very clear. You want to come here, get vaccinated.”
Djokovic however, should at least be able to defend his French Open title in May, despite reports he would be denied entry after France made vaccine passports mandatory for those competing in sporting events.
However, the caveat is the vaccine passport can be awarded to individuals who have recovered from Covid in the last six months - meaning the 20-time Grand Slam winner would be eligible on the basis he returned a positive PCR test on December 16.
