Novak Djokovic was still on his way to Belgrade when bad news came from France for the tennis world number one after being deported from Australia.

A title defense at the French Open could also fail for the 34-year-old Serb if he does not get vaccinated against the corona virus.

The reception in Belgrade was subdued after landing on Monday afternoon - measured by the support from the highest level during the dispute over the denied visa in Australia.

A handful of fans, but around 30 camera teams were waiting for Djokovic, who had flown from Melbourne via Dubai to the Serbian capital, and left the airport through a side entrance without comment.

Nadal wins at the start

The winner of 20 Grand Slam tournaments should have learned quickly what France's Minister of Sport Roxana Maracineanu announced on Twitter on Sunday evening.

In France, domestic and foreign athletes will only be able to compete in the future if they are vaccinated or have recovered.

The second Grand Slam tournament of the season begins on May 16 in Paris.

After the almost two-week legal tug of war over the visa of the defending champion, who left involuntarily on Sunday evening, the Australian Open is now running in Melbourne. The Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who with the 21st Grand Slam title can become the sole record winner in the four most important tournaments ahead of Djokovic and the Swiss Roger Federer, started with an easy victory. Of course, there are several people responsible for the terrible situation of the past two weeks, said the 35-year-old, adding with regard to Djokovic: "But of course he is also one of those responsible."

Miomir Kecmanovic - actually Djokovic's first-round opponent - dedicated his victory over the Italian Salvatore Caruso to his more prominent compatriot.

Serbian pro Dusan Lajovic displayed a Serbian flag with a Djokovic picture and the words: "Like it or not, the greatest of all time" after his win.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison made it clear on Monday that the entry ban does not necessarily have to be for three years.

That will be dealt with in due course.

Australia's federal court rejected Djokovic's appeal against the repeated cancellation of his visa on Sunday.

Djokovic is awarded

Politicians in Serbia were rather cautious about the arrival.

Top politicians did not initially pose with him on Monday.

Goran Vezic, the Vice Mayor of Belgrade, at least announced that Djokovic will receive the Belgrade City Award.

The illumination of an office tower on the banks of the Sava, which can be seen from afar, also went to the account of the capital's administration.

Primed with the Serbian national colors of red, blue and white, the lettering “Nole, you are the pride of Serbia” ran across the building.

Nole is a pet form of the given name Novak.

The Serbian government under the powerful President Aleksandar Vucic has a rather opportunistic approach to the tennis idol, who actually resides in Monaco. As long as Djokovic was housed in the spartan deportation hotel in Melbourne and exposed to the alleged arbitrariness of Australian authorities, he was of use to the right-wing populist leadership in Belgrade.

Because for a long time there has not been an issue of global attention so well suited to rehashing the eternal conspiracy narrative of the misunderstood and wrongly punished Serbs. Vucic, other government politicians and Djokovic's family in Belgrade never tired of accusing Australians of torturing and bullying the tennis star because he is a Serb. And because Serbia is always fighting against global evil and for the oppressed of this world.

Virtually the same conspiracy narrative underpinned the wars in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

They had emanated from Serbia because the ruler at the time, Slobodan Milosevic, wanted to incorporate large parts of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina into a new "Greater Serbia" when Yugoslavia collapsed.

In Serbia itself, however, one was only the victim.

As a young politician, Vucic was Minister of Information in the Milosevic government and notorious for his suppression of critical media.

Today he presents himself as a pragmatically transformed national conservative.

Critics accuse him of continuing to pursue the goals of the Milosevic era under changed conditions. 

Djokovic is of no use to him in his own country.

For reasons of state policy and under pressure from Serbian health experts, his government is pursuing a clear line in favor of vaccination against Corona.

Despite this, only 47 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

Insofar as Djokovic is seen as an icon by opponents of vaccination, the enthusiasm of the Belgrade leadership for him is limited.