The Australian Open may be all tied up with new men’s and women’s champions, but the Novak Djokovic debacle continues to be a conversation piece among many.
The world number one was not able to defend his title in Melbourne after issues with his visa ultimately resulted in his deportation from the country.
Djokovic had initially been granted medical exemption from Australia's vaccination rules but was detained upon arrival after border officials found problems with his visa.
The Serbian raised an appeal, which was approved, and he was allowed to enter Australia.
It seemed as though Djokovic's luck was in but a final decision then ruled against him and he was forced to return home.
The Australian Open saga was one of the hottest topics in world sport and many tennis stars, both past and present, aired their thoughts on the situation.
Martina Navrátilová said she could not defend the Serb's decision to not be vaccinated against the virus and stressed the whole thing "could have been avoided."
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 11: Novak Djokovic of Serbia practices on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 11, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. Djokovic arrived in Melbourne on Thursday night to play in the upcoming Australian Open and was denied entry to Australia due to his inability to meet Australian entry requirements. He was sent to an immigration detention hotel while the decision to cancel his visa was reviewed in the Australian Federal Circuit Court. Djokovic was granted permission to enter Australia on Monday night and resumed practising soon after with another session this afternoon, while the Federal Government decides if they should still cancel his visa. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
Russian star Daria Kasatkina is one of the latest to have her say on Djokovic's Australian deportation and admitted she believed it would have been "unpleasant" for all the other players in Melbourne had he been permitted to compete.
"Because we all made some kind of sacrifice, we accepted the rules of the game in order to play," she told Eurosport.
"Novak wanted to go his own way. If he was allowed to play with all the set of absurdities that eventually happened, it would not be fair to the players."
Kasatkina reached the third round of the 2022 Australian Open, where she was knocked out by Poland's Iga Świątek.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 10: Daria Kasatkina of Russia plays a shot in her match against Sofia Kenin of the United States during day 2 of the Sydney Tennis Classic at Ken Rosewall Arena on January 10, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
The world number 21 claimed Djokovic is determined to make sure people love him and she compared this attitude to that of his rival Rafael Nadal.
"We all see how he wants people to love him," Kasatkina said. "How he tries to do everything for this, but it does not work. Because in the end it still feels like something is not right.
"Rafa is real — he doesn't hit rackets because he just hasn't done it since childhood. He splashes out emotions in a different way.
"The pretence is visible."
Following his deportation, Djokovic has since been served a three-year ban from Australia. As it stands, the other Grand Slam tournaments are yet to make vaccination compulsory and Djokovic could well compete, but this is still subject to change.