Novak Djokovic has described having his Australian visa ban overturned as a great “new year present” as he gears up for a tilt at a record equalling Grand Slam win next January.
Djokovic, 35, was deported out of the country earlier this year just a day before the Australian Open began, following an explosive saga that plagued the build-up to the tournament. Having refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, he was initially granted a medical exemption to fly to Melbourne.
But he was detained upon his arrival in Victoria after being found to have submitted false information on his immigration forms. Despite winning his initial appeal against the ruling, a second court decision deemed it "in the public interest" to cancel his visa, and he was duly handed a three-year ban from entering the country.
