The 24-time Grand Slam winner explained, though, that he does not "hold a grudge" over what happened as he reflected on the emotional victory he achieved the following year.

Djokovic missed both the Australian Open and the US Open in 2022 due to his decision not to have the Covid-19 vaccine, which was required to enter both countries at the time. He also missed out on other prestigious tournaments, such as the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in both 2022 and 2023.

The Serbian was held in a detention centre after arriving in Melbourne ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, despite being given a medical exemption to enter Australia without having had a vaccine.

The tennis great won a court case to quash the initial ruling for his travel visa to be cancelled by the Australian Border Force (ABF).

However, Djokovic was forced to leave the country after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's decision to revoke his visa for a second time was upheld in court.

Djokovic returned to Melbourne in 2023 to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open crown.

In an interview with the Herald Sun ahead of the 2025 Australian Open, Djokovic opened up about the effects of the deportation saga he endured three years ago.

"The last couple of times I landed in Australia, to go through passport control and immigration - I had a bit of trauma from three years ago," the 37-year-old explained.

"And some traces still stay there when I'm passing passport control, just checking out if someone from immigration zone is Ã‚approaching.

"The person checking my passport - are they going to take me, detain me again or let me go? I must admit I have that feeling.

"I don't hold a grudge. I came right away the year after and I won.

"My parents and whole team were there and it was actually one of the most emotional wins I've ever had, considering all that I'd been through the year before."

In late 2023, Djokovic revealed he felt he had been condemned as "a villain of the world" as a result of the controversy.

"It did [take a toll]. I was basically declared as a villain of the world, you know, and I had basically, yeah, most of the world against me," Djokovic told 60 Minutes on CBS News.

"I had that kind of experience on the tennis court, with crowds that were not maybe cheering me on. But I never had this particular experience before in my life.

"(On the reaction of Australian public) The point is that it was not up to me to read anybody. I got the exemption, I got the permission to come into the country. And of course it escalated to the highest of the highest levels globally.

"People tried to, you know, declare me as an anti-vax. I'm not anti-vax. Nor am I pro-vax. I'm pro-freedom to choose."

Djokovic will contend for his 11th Australian Open title at the 2025 edition of the event, which will begin on Sunday January 12. He is set to be the No 7 seed.

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