Australian Open organisers insisted that they would not help Novak Djokovic obtain a visa for January's tournament – before adding that Russian and Belarusian players are free to participate.
Tournament director Craig Tiley was asked about Djokovic at the official launch of the 2023 event. He passed them upstairs to the new Labor government, which will have to decide whether to cancel Djokovic's three-year visa ban.
"It's not a matter we can lobby on," said Tiley. "Novak and the federal government need to work out the situation and then we'll follow any instruction after that. It's a matter that definitely stays between the two of them, and then depending on the outcome of that we would welcome him to the Australian Open.
"I did spend some time with Novak at the Laver Cup," Tiley added. "He said that he'd obviously love to come back to Australia, but he knows it's going to be a decision for the federal government."
Tiley's comments came two days after a former government official who played a role in deporting Djokovic last January said that allowing him to enter in 2023 would be a "slap in the face" of vaccinated Australians. Karen Andrews, who was home affairs minister under the Liberals, said on Australian breakfast TV on Monday that Djokovic should not be "allowed back into the country simply because he is a high-ranking tennis player with many millions of dollars".