- 'We stand by you' -

Because of the format of the court, the justices' decision will be extremely difficult to appeal by either side.

Besides immediate deportation, the Serbian star also faces a three-year ban from Australia.

Scott Morrison's government had tried and failed to remove Djokovic once before -- on the grounds he was unvaccinated and that a recent COVID infection was not sufficient for a medical exemption.

A lower circuit court judge ruled that officials at Melbourne airport made procedural errors when cancelling his visa.

For a few days, Djokovic was free to train before a second visa revocation and a return to a notorious Melbourne immigration detention facility.

Many Australians -- who have suffered prolonged lockdowns and border restrictions -- believe the player gamed the system to dodge vaccine entry requirements.

The case has been seized on by culture warriors in the roiling debate over vaccines and how to handle the pandemic.

Australia's immigration minister has admitted that Djokovic is at "negligible" risk of infecting Australians, but argued his past "disregard" for COVID-19 regulations may pose a risk to public health and encourage people to ignore pandemic rules.

The tennis ace contracted COVID-19 in mid-December and, according to his own account, failed to isolate despite knowing he was positive.

Public records show he attended a stamp unveiling, a youth tennis event, and granted a media interview around the time he got tested and his latest infection was confirmed.

Djokovic is tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 Grand Slam titles each.

Spanish great Nadal took a swipe at his rival on Saturday as players complained the scandal was overshadowing the opening Grand Slam of the year.

"The Australian Open is much more important than any player," Nadal told reporters at Melbourne Park.

"The Australian Open will be a great Australian Open with or without him."

- AFP