ATP statement

A court decision on Sunday to uphold Novak Djokovic's Australian visa cancellation was an end to a 'deeply regrettable' series of events and the Serb's exit from the Australian Open was a loss for the sport, men's tennis governing body ATP has said.

"Ultimately, decisions of legal authorities regarding matters of public health must be respected. More time is required to take stock of the facts and to take the learnings from this situation."

The men`s tennis governing body had previously said that 97% of the men`s top 100 players were inoculated against COVID-19. The ATP reiterated that it continues to "strongly recommend" players to get vaccinated.

"Irrespective of how this point has been reached, Novak is one of our sport`s greatest champions and his absence from the Australian Open is a loss for the game," the ATP said.

"We know how turbulent the recent days have been for Novak and how much he wanted to defend his title in Melbourne. We wish him well and look forward to seeing him back on court soon."

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