The late twist in the Djokovic saga provoked wild anger on the streets of Melbourne, as hundreds of his supporters waved Serbian flags and hurled vitriol at police officers, who used pepper spray to try to disperse the crowds.

Oliver Brown recounts the twists and turns in the player’s farcical court hearing and outlines how the resolve of Australian prime minister Scott Morrison’s government to make an example of Djokovic has been laid bare. 

Court documents submitted for his deportation hearing have revealed that the Serbian confirmed he was unvaccinated against coronavirus while trying to enter Australia. 

Read the full transcript of what he told a border official about his inoculation status.

‘I’d rather he didn’t play’

If Djokovic is allowed to defend his Australian Open title, what will his fellow professionals think? 

Rafael Nadal has branded the deportation farce “a circus” and joked he would prefer it if his arch-rival was prevented from playing. Nadal, who last week said Djokovic only had himself to blame for being denied entry to Australia, proclaimed “justice had spoken”. 

The Serbian’s conditioning is bound to have been affected by his brief internment, but Simon Briggs pities his next opponents – as he is never more dangerous than when the world is against him.

Murray vs Farage

A sideshow to this spectacle has been a Twitter spat between another of Djokovic’s long-time rivals, Sir Andy Murray, and Nigel Farage. 

The former Ukip leader has urged Sir Andy to “concentrate on tennis” after the former world number one mocked him over his support for the Serbian. 

Mr Farage claimed the three-time grand slam champion and double Olympic gold medallist did not “understand politics or the Brexit campaign” and was “filled with prejudice”. Read Sir Andy’s joke.

Covid briefing: Latest updates

Around the world: Suu Kyi’s ‘walkie-talkie’ sentencing

A court in Myanmar sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s civilian leader, to four more years in prison today, after finding her guilty of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating Covid-19 restrictions. Ms Suu Kyi, 76, had already been convicted in December on two other charges and handed a jail term of four years, which was halved by the junta chief. The Nobel laureate has been under house arrest since the military seized power on February 1, ousting the civilian government and detaining senior members of the ruling National League for Democracy. She faces charges on multiple counts that together carry a sentence of more than 100 years in jail. Read the international outcry.

Comment and analysis

Monday big-read

The double life of Munich’s ‘good German’