Novak Djokovic was denied seeing Orthodox priest before Christmas during Australian Open deportation, reveals PM Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, recently expressed his views about the treatment Novak Djokovic received from the Victorian government and border officials during his 2022 Australian Open deportation saga. Albanese revealed one of the missteps from the higher-ups was not allowing the 24-time Major winner to see an Orthodox minister while serving his detention.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, Tennis Australia had deemed it mandatory for the players to either get vaccinated or apply for a medical exemption, ahead of the 2022 Australian Open. Djokovic was unvaccinated back then but arrived in Melbourne with a medical exemption from the state government. However, his exemption was denied by Australian Border Force (ABF) officials, which led them to revoke his visa and detain him at the Park Hotel in Carlton.

Novak Djokovic's visa was subsequently canceled by then-Minister of Immigration, Alex Hawke. Not only could the Serb not defend his title at the 2022 Australian Open, but he also faced a three-year ban from the country.

Against that background, the current Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, told Daily Mail this week that the federal government's handling of Novak Djokovic at the time was "hard to justify".

"I made comments about it at the time. I found it astonishing that in the lead-up to Christmas, Novak Djokovic was denied by the then-federal government the opportunity to see his Orthodox minister, priest during that period," Anthony Albanese told Daily Mail. "That was something that I think was hard to justify."

While the former World No. 1 was granted his visa for the following edition of the tournament and the prospective ban was reversed, he revealed earlier this week that he still "had a bit of trauma" from his visa fiasco.

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Novak Djokovic on winning 2023 Australian Open after visa drama the year before: "One of the most emotional wins that I’ve ever had"

10-time Australian Open champion looks on during practice

Novak Djokovic suffered from the politics of then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2022. Morrison had reportedly swayed public opinion against him back then, saying that his inclusion at the Australian Open would've excited "anti-vaccination" sentiment. The Liberal Party leader lost the federal election later that year, and the new Labor Party government reinstated Djokovic's visa for the 2023 Australian Open.

The Serb made the most of the opportunity, winning the 2023 edition of the Happy Slam in convincing fashion. During his recent interaction with The Herald Sun, the 37-year-old claimed that the above title victory was "one of the most emotional wins" he had experienced in his career.

"I don’t hold any resentment to be honest. I don’t hold a grudge. I came like right away the year after in 2023 ... and I won the Australian Open - it was my 22nd Slam," he said. "My parents and whole team were there and it was actually one of the most emotional wins that I’ve ever had considering all that I’d been through the year before."

The 24-time Major winner will be vying for his eleventh title in Melbourne during the next fortnight. The former World No. 1 has had less-than-ideal preparation for the 2025 Australian Open though, having exited the Brisbane International - a tune-up event to the Major tournament - in the quarterfinals.