“I respect the Court’s ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.

“I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love. I would like to wish the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best for the tournament.

“Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, team, supporters, fans and my fellow Serbians for your continued support. You have all been a great source of strength to me.”

Despite Djokovic’s admission that he had broken Covid rules by not self-isolating following a positive test, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic said that “we cannot wait to see him” and that he was “always welcome in Serbia”.

‘It will keep Australians safe’

Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa, saying the decision would help “keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe”.

“It’s now time to get on with the Australian Open and get back to enjoying tennis over the summer,” Morrison said in a statement.

Alex Hawke, the immigration minister, said he welcomed the unanimous ruling of the judges to uphold his decision “to cancel Mr Djokovic’s visa in the public interest”.

He added: “Australia’s strong border protection policies have kept us safe during the pandemic, resulting in one of the lowest death rates, strongest economic recoveries, and highest vaccination rates in the world.

“Strong border protection policies are also fundamental to safeguarding Australia’s social cohesion which continues to strengthen despite the pandemic.”

The former prime minister Kevin Rudd accused the government of using the saga to distract from domestic issues. 

“The end of a week-long, political circus – all avoidable had Morrison not issued #Djokovic a visa in the first place,” he wrote on Twitter.

“He then tries to look like a hairy chested Howard: ‘we decide who comes here, nobody else’. Meanwhile hospital crisis off the front page.”

How tennis reacted

Nick Kyrgios was the first major men’s tennis player to react to the news, tweeting a ‘face palm’ emoji.