Dutton welcomes back Djokovic, but hopes he has regrets

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton hopes Novak Djokovic regrets “some elements of his conduct” but won’t stand in the way of the move to revoke the tennis star’s three-year visa ban.

In backing Djokovic’s return to Australia, the former home affairs minister said it was right for the Serbian to be allowed to enter the country and chase a 10th Australian Open title.

Novak Djokovic is set to return to the Australian Open in January.Credit: AP

Labor has paved the way for Djokovic to play January’s grand slam in Melbourne by overturning the visa ban put in place by the former Coalition government 10 months ago amid global headlines and a 10-day legal saga which ended with Djokovic being deported.

“I think it’s appropriate that Novak’s invited here,” Dutton told Sky News on Wednesday.

“We’re going to have a great Australian Open. It’s always a great sporting event for Melbourne, for our country.

“I suspect that in hindsight I hope that Mr Djokovic has some regret about some elements of his conduct and the rest.

“But the fact is that we’re a couple of years down the track now and it will be good to see him playing great tennis here in Australia.”

Dutton was a senior member of the former Morrison government which ruled that Djokovic, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, may have disrupted civil order and his presence undermined the nation’s pandemic response.

After declaring before his arrival in Australia that he held an “exemption permission”, Djokovic was taken into detention upon his arrival in Melbourne.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

His visa was cancelled but Djokovic challenged the decision and was held in a quarantine hotel while he fought for the right to play.

Djokovic maintained he had done everything he could to meet Australian entry requirements, initially winning a court case to stay.

But in another twist just days before the tournament, immigration minister Alex Hawke used his ministerial powers to cancel Djokovic’s visa under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act “on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so”.

While the new federal government has not yet spoken publicly about its move, the stage is set for Djokovic, winner of 21 major titles, to make a high-profile return to Australia.

The circumstances of the Djokovic visa saga – stemming from his choice not to be vaccinated – sparked intense public debate. Overwhelmingly, the Serbian received little sympathy from Australians after his attempt to enter the country came amid widespread vaccine mandates.

Djokovic also missed the US Open in the second half of the year after the United States continued to ban unvaccinated foreigners from entering the country.

Despite missing out accruing points by winning this year’s Wimbledon – a rankings-free event due to the ban on players from Russia and Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine – Djokovic has been successful enough in 2022 to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Italy.

After featuring alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at September’s Laver Cup – the farewell event for retired legend Federer – Djokovic modified his schedule and won events in Israel and Kazakhstan.

It’s not clear what reception is in store for him at Melbourne Park and potentially at other tournaments in Australia this summer.

Experienced tennis official Peter Johnston, however, is expecting genuine warmth between Djokovic and the Australian sporting public, tipping mutual respect between the Serbian and sports fans at an event he has ruthlessly dominated for more than a decade.

The Kooyong Classic tournament director will attempt to lure Djokovic to the exhibition event staged in Melbourne in early January.

“Now with the situation that we’ve got here [with the removal of vaccine mandates] ... the rules do allow him [to come back],” Johnston said.

Johnston is expecting the interaction between Djokovic and fans to be positive.

“I think ultimately it will be, yeah,” he said of Djokovic, who boasts a 64-3 record at Melbourne Park since 2011 and hasn’t lost an Australian Open match since 2018.

“I think the respect you see [from Djokovic] in every country that he plays in ... that is certainly what will ultimately endear the public to him here.”

While Djokovic plays his next match at the ATP Finals against Russian Andrey Rublev on Wednesday night, his exact Australian summer schedule is yet to be revealed.

He won’t feature at the United Cup, the new mixed-gender teams event kick-starting the summer and played in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

The top six ranked players on the ATP and WTA ensured automatic qualification for their nations (excluding Russia and Belarus). On current rankings, Serbia was in line to qualify due to Djokovic’s top-10 ranking, but it’s been confirmed he did not seek to play the United Cup.

The Serbian’s presence in Melbourne means the Australian Open will be just the second full-strength men’s grand slam event since the 2021 US Open.

While Djokovic missed this year’s two hardcourt majors in Melbourne and New York, his Wimbledon triumph over Nick Kyrgios came amid a ban on players from Russia and Belarus.

The Australian Open is poised to feature Djokovic, defending champion Rafael Nadal, last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz, confirmed overnight as the youngest season-ending world No.1 since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.

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