Mr Morrison, after all, is in the grip of a crisis. From being the land the pandemic forgot, Australia is now Covid-central, with 34,994 cases in New South Wales on Thursday and 21,997 in Victoria. 

As the omicron variant rages through the population, the prime minister confronts a federal election in four months’ time that he could well lose. Against this backdrop, Djokovic’s fate, which on the surface demonstrates the equitability of Australian vaccine laws, can be weaponised to his advantage.

Mr Morrison’s message, delivered with Djokovic still at the airport, smacked of a leader already in full campaign mode. 

“No one is above these rules,” he said. “Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from Covid, and we are continuing to be vigilant.”

It is astonishing that this saga was ever allowed to reach such high farce. After all, Australian immigration officials had approved his visa at the point he began his journey in Dubai. Why was it left until the final checks at Melbourne Airport, involving everybody from Mr Morrison to the president of Serbia, for this to descend into an almighty diplomatic ruckus that lasted all night?

Very few in tennis or beyond are much inclined to see Djokovic as a victim. The most prevalent view is that he only has himself to blame, that he could have saved himself the trouble by being vaccinated, just like most of his peers. 

It is still possible, though, to feel a touch uncomfortable at how a nine-time Australian Open champion, a figure who in 2020 donated money to help relief efforts from the country’s devastating bushfires, is being held up to such merciless ridicule. 

That unease is magnified by the posturing of Mr Morrison and his ministers, which suggests Djokovic is less the architect of his downfall than a pawn in a cynical political game.