An Australian court ruling has ended Novak Djokovic's ambition to win his 21st Grand Slam champion to be deported from the nation.

The verdict brings an end to a drama that has ensnared the world's top-ranked male tennis player in a legal and diplomatic standoff and stoked debate over mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations.

Three Federal Court justices on Sunday confirmed Australia's Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's decision on Friday to reject the 34-year-old Serb's visa on public interest grounds, effectively barring him from competing in Monday's Australian Open competition.

Seeking his 21st grand slam title, Djokovic was scheduled to face fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic, the world No. 76. He will now be replaced in the draw by an unseeded player.

Typically, a deportation order includes a three-year ban on re-entry to Australia.

According to court files earlier this week, Djokovic, 34, is unvaccinated, and he has stated that it is a matter of personal choice.

Australian border laws presently prohibit entry to non-Australian visitors who are fully vaccinated. Still, the Serbian singer claims he was granted a medical exemption to enter the nation after being diagnosed with Covid-19 in his native country last month and recovering.

However, he revealed Wednesday that the travel document he used to enter Australia contained a false declaration and that he neglected to separate himself promptly after testing positive, escalating the scrutiny from Australian officials and the international media.

Djokovic's visa was initially canceled last week when border officials rejected his application for a medical exemption upon his arrival in Melbourne.

He later won a legal appeal that permitted him to remain in the nation and practice law despite the looming prospect of deportation.

He was held in immigration detention for four days alongside asylum seekers and undocumented migrants while awaiting the outcome of his appeal. The court judgment did not determine the validity of his medical exemption.

On Friday, Hawke, the immigration minister, revoked the tennis star's visa for the second time. In an early Friday statement, he stated that he exercised his discretionary powers "on the assumption that doing so was in the public interest."

Djokovic was a person of authority and stature, and his "permanent presence may contribute to an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment produced in the Australian community," he added.

Additionally, Djokovic's attorney, Nick Wood, stated that the minister failed to consider how deporting Djokovic may "galvanize anti-vax extremists, as when Djokovic faced deportation shortly after arriving in Melbourne Jan. 5.

Supporters of Djokovic had previously called for a boycott of the Australian Open.

According to Lloyd, Hawke recognized that revoking Djokovic's visa "would cause some kind of disturbance." However, the minister's anxieties about the Serb remaining were more significant.

Many Australians are incensed by the Djokovic saga, as a highly infectious omicron form epidemic feeds record-high infection rates. On Saturday, the country recorded 86,288 new illnesses, as the country's first-dose vaccination rate surpassed 95%.