Djokovic has also been urged to reveal the details behind his medical exemption, with Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley calling on the Serbian to explain why he has been allowed to compete.

“I think it’ll certainly be helpful if Novak was to explain the condition for which he sought an exemption and he got the exemption,” he said. “But ultimately, it’s up to him.”

After weeks of debate over Djokovic’s presence – or otherwise – at the Australian Open, the news finally emerged via his own social media channels on Tuesday morning. “I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the Christmas break,” he wrote in his post, “and today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022!”

A slap in the face for many Melburnians

While Djokovic’s tone was triumphant, he is likely to experience a chilly welcome in Melbourne – a city which has taken a tough line on lockdowns. No ordinary member of the public is allowed into Melbourne Park – the venue for the upcoming Australian Open – without evidence of vaccination. Some will surely quote James Merlino, the deputy state premier for Victoria, who said last month that “Medical exemptions are just that – it’s not a loophole for privileged tennis players.”

This issue will rumble on throughout the coming month, and indeed the coming season, given that the Australian Open is unlikely to be the last tournament to insist on vaccinations or carefully scrutinised exemptions.

The mechanics of this process are complex. Soon after Djokovic’s post, Tennis Australia and the Victorian state government found themselves contradicting each other over who was ultimately responsible. This back-and-forth underlined the likely unpopularity of the decision, which many Melburnians will see as a slap in the face after spending so many months under restrictive anti-Covid protocols.

So how did Djokovic get admitted to Australia? It seems unlikely that he – or anyone else – will reveal the nature of his exemption. But the most likely explanation must be that he has contracted Covid for a second time at some point in the last six months, having previously caught it during his ill-fated Adria Tour event in the summer of 2020.