In a statement, the Australian Border Force said Djokovic "failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled.

"Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia," it added.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt told Channel 7 News Sunrise programme: "Australians have had to do it tough, and Australians in many different states and territories have to show their vaccination record... it's not unreasonable to have exactly the same requirements of all who enter this country."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted: "Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders. No one is above these rules." ​

His treatment has provoked outrage in his native Serbia. His father, Srdjan Djokovic said his son was had been in a room guarded by police.

"This is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world," he said in a statement released to the media.

President Aleksander Vucic said the star was a victim of "harassment", and that "the whole of Serbia", supported him.