An Australian court has ruled that world number one men's singles tennis player Novak Djokovic should be allowed to enter the country.

The court issued the ruling on Monday in a lawsuit Djokovic filed after he was denied entry upon arriving in Melbourne on Wednesday to take part in the Australian Open, which starts on January 17.

He has since been held at an immigration detention hotel.

All players at this year's tournament must be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption granted by state authorities and other bodies in Australia.

Representatives for Djokovic say he contracted the coronavirus last month, and that tournament organizers notified them that he had been granted an exemption.
But the Australian government denied Djokovic's claim for an exemption based merely on a recent infection.

At an online hearing on Monday, Djokovic's lawyers argued that he should be allowed entry because he followed required procedures such as obtaining a visa and a medical exemption.

The government reiterated that its refusal is appropriate.

The court ruled that the government's decision to revoke the tennis star's visa was unreasonable and ordered that Djokovic be released from detention immediately.

The 34-year-old player is aiming for four consecutive Australian Open titles and an all-time men's singles record of 21 Grand Slam titles.