Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic landed at Belgrade airport on Monday, following his deportation from Australia but left by a side exit to avoid the large number of media crews and reporters waiting for him

Sources in Djokovic’s PR team said a day earlier that they can’t guarantee that he would be staying in Serbia but added that he would not be making any statements about what happened in Australia before the Australian Open tournament finishes.

The crowd at the airport included a large number of fans who said they were there as a show of support. A young man for Great Britain said he had come in from London to see Djokovic.

Djokovic had pictures taken with his fans at Dubai airport where he changed flights to get to Belgrade.

The tennis star was deported from Australia on Sunday after Federal Court judges confirmed the government’s decision to revoke his visa claiming that his decision not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus poses a risk to Australian society.

Djokovic said he was disappointed but would abide by the ruling.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison left open the possibility of granting Djokovic a visa for the Australian Open next year despite the fact that the deportation order includes a three year ban on entering the country.