There isn't much for Novak Djokovic to do but wait. The world's no. 1 tennis player is being held at an "immigration hotel" in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton as he awaits a January 10 court hearing over Australia's decision to cancel his visa and deport him.

The unglamorous surroundings of the Park Hotel, a place known more for detaining refugees than hosting an elite sportsman, is a far cry from the optimistic tone of Djokovic's final Instagram post before boarding a flight from Dubai to Melbourne on January 4, when his nightmare began. "Let's go 2022" hasn't aged well.

Adorned with Serbian flags, Djokovic loyalists have flocked to support the reigning Australian Open champion outside his temporary residence, bucking the overall trend and overwhelming view of public opinion — in Australia and beyond — that vaccine skeptic Djokovic is deserving of little sympathy.