Australian Open executive Craig Tiley says Novak Djokovic would love to play at the Australian Open but would have to sort out his issues with the government. He also confirmed that Russians and Belarusians could compete under a neutral flag.

The Serb’s deportation highlighted the first Grand Slam event of 2022 after a long-drawn legal battle over his visa status.

A new government is now in charge, and the decision to rescind Djokovic’s visa can be reversed, but the present government has shown no indication of doing so.

“What we’re saying at this point is that Novak and the federal government need to work out the situation. And then we’ll follow any instruction after that,” Tiley said at the tournament’s official launch.

“I did spend some time with Novak at the Laver Cup. We spoke generally. He said that he’d obviously love to come back to Australia, but he knows it’s going to be an ultimate decision for the federal government.

“He’s accepted that position. It’s a private matter between them.”

The former world number one has refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine due to personal reasons. However, Australia still has strict immigration rules concerning vaccination against the virus.