Iconic Australian Open commentator Jim Courier's Novak Djokovic call

Jim Courier has blasted Novak Djokovic over his visa fiasco and said the Serbian should never have flown to Australia in the first place.

The iconic commentator said it was clear 'wires were crossed' when the Federal Government granted the world No.1 an exemption to fly into Melbourne on January 5.

But the 51-year-old - who is commentating on his 18th Australian Open this year - said the tennis world would be in a better place if the unvaccinated star had stayed in Serbia.

'Ultimately everyone involved here has lost,' the four-time Grand Slam winner said on Channel Nine's Australian Open commentary on Monday. 

'But it would have been so much better if Novak had never come here - for him, the whole of tennis and the government.'

Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday night and will be banned from re-entering for three years after a federal court upheld the decision to cancel his visa.

Courier said he wanted to know why Djokovic - who was granted an exemption to vaccine requirements as he had recently contracted Covid - was allowed to enter Australia earlier this month.

'One of Novak's best friends [tennis player] Vasek Pospisil said he was with him in early December and that he had made peace with the fact he wasn't coming to Australia,' Courier said. 

'Then Novak gets Covid and somehow he receives that medical exemption.  

'I think there are still cards to fall in terms of finding out which part of the government knew what and why there were wires crossed.'

Courier said he didn't understand why Djokovic's paperwork was initially approved when he was in transit to Australia in Dubai.

'I was in the airport in Los Angeles and I had paperwork this deep to get in - and I'm double vaccinated,' Courier said.

His comments came after Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews on Monday morning confirmed Djokovic would be banned from entering Australia for three years.

In an interview with the Today Show on Monday, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews confirmed the years-long ban was the outcome of the court decision. 

'The visa was cancelled by [Immigration] Minister Hawke,' Ms Andrews said.

'That cancellation was upheld by the Federal Court, so as a result of that, he will be banned from entry for three years into the country.'

Ms Andrews said should Djokovic return to Australia with compelling reasons in the future 'that may be looked at but that's all hypothetical at this point.'  

Djokovic left Australia late on Sunday night after 11 days of remarkable legal wrangling saw the tennis champion finally exhaust his options, with the full bench of the Federal Court siding with Minister Hawke. 

He was escorted to Melbourne Airport by police on Sunday evening and boarded an Emirates flight to Dubai about 10.30pm, and will transit on to Spain. 

The controversial decision was met with shock by his fans, family and politicians back in Serbia, with Djokovic's outraged father labelling it an 'assassination attempt' against his son and President Aleksandar Vucic accused Australian officials of 'lying'. 

But Scott Morrison, and millions of Australians, supported the move, with the prime minister saying he 'welcomed the decision to keep our borders strong'.

He did add that despite the three-year ban there could be room for the tennis ace to travel back to Australia. 

'It does go over a three-year period but there is the opportunity for them to return in the right circumstances, and that will be considered at the time'.

Mr Morrison was also forced to dismiss bizarre claims by the Serbian president that the tennis superstar's prolonged stints in immigration detention amounted to 'physical torture'.

'Well, it's very clear that Australia has not tortured Mr Djokovic.' Mr Morrison told 2GB on Monday.  

Djokovic lost his last-ditch bid to stay in Melbourne and compete in the Australian Open on Sunday after three federal court judges unanimously ruled he did not have grounds to dispute Mr Hawke's visa cancellation. 

The 34-year-old, who has been ordered to pay the federal government's legal costs, said he was 'extremely disappointed' with the court's decision to dismiss his application but that he respected its ruling.  

Ms Andrews on Monday acknowledged there were some 'issues' around the interview process after the world No.1 was stopped at Melbourne Airport but Djokovic was not entitled to enter the country - despite being granted a visa before arriving.