Djokovic included in Australian Open draw as visa decision looms

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Djokovic's cause was not helped by a mistake in his entry declaration, where the box stating he had not travelled abroad in the two weeks prior to leaving for Australia was ticked.

In fact, he had gone to Spain from Serbia.

Djokovic, 34, attributed the error to his agent and acknowledged that he also should have rescheduled an interview and photo shoot for a French newspaper on Dec 18 while infected with COVID-19.

Fans, including many Serbian Australians, gave him noisy support when he was detained, anti-vaxxers have hailed him as a hero and his family have portrayed him as a champion for individual rights.

But Djokovic may face hostility from the crowd if and when he walks out on court.

There is widespread anger over the saga among Australians, who have a 90 per cent vaccination rate among adults and are battling a wave of Omicron variant infections after enduring some of the world's longest lockdowns aimed at curbing the pandemic.

"I don't like his arrogance," Teyhan Ismain, a Melbourne resident, said on Wednesday. "It does seem that he's been telling a few fibs too. So I think he should just probably go back."

There may also be resentment in the dressing room, where all but three of the top 100 men are inoculated.

Tennis great Martina Navratilova told Australian television that Djokovic should "suck it up" and return home.

"The bottom line is, sometimes your personal beliefs have to be trumped by what's good for the greater good, for those around you, for your peers," she told Seven's Sunrise programme. "You have two choices, get vaccinated or just don't go play."

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