Australian Open organisers say they ‘deeply regret’ the impact of Djokovic saga

The Men’s Tennis World Number One was deported from Australia earlier this week after the Federal Court upheld the Immigration Minister’s decision to cancel his visa.

Tournament organisers say the deportation has impacted other players and admit there are “lessons to learn”.

The Australia Open Board says “the players, and tennis fans are keen for the focus to now be on the game”.

In its first comments on the matter, Tennis Australia said in a statement it respected the court decision and hoped the focus could now switch to action on the tennis court.

“As the Australian tennis family, we recognise that recent events have been a significant distraction for everyone and we deeply regret the impact this had on all players,” it said, without mentioning Djokovic by name.

“There are always lessons to learn and we will review all aspects of our preparation and implementation to inform our planning – as we do every year.”

The governing body also threw its support behind its embattled chief executive Craig Tiley, who has come under the microscope over his role in giving Djokovic the green light to come to Australia.