McNamee’s suspicions are well-founded. Djokovic is languishing in a down-at-heel Melbourne hotel, waiting to see if he will be slung out of the country in 72 hours’ time, not because of Robocop-level ferocity at the border. Instead, this unholy mess has arisen from incompetence and an endless game of pass-the-buck between Tennis Australia (TA), the Victorian government and federal authorities.

At first, Morrison shrugged off the furore over TA’s move to let the unvaccinated Djokovic compete, insisting it was a matter for the host state. “They have provided him with an exemption to come to Australia, and so we act in accordance with that decision,” he said. Barely 24 hours later, Jacinta Allan, Victoria’s acting premier, sent a contradictory signal: “How people get into the country is a matter for the commonwealth government, who are responsible for issuing visas.”