Will athletes like Kelly Slater be denied entry into Australia over vaccine comments, given reasons for Djokovic's deportation?

Australia's international reputation as a sports-loving nation has taken a hit. Our love for sporting superstars and hosting some of the world's most prestigious events has been hit by the harshest COVID regulations in the world outside of China.

The government has shown it is in no mood to go soft on border control, flexing its immigration muscle allowing it to cancel a visa if it deems it is «in the public interest» to do so.

Tennis players Novak Djokovic and Renata Voracova have been deported and will be prevented from returning for three years, despite not having committed a crime.

A judge handed Djokovic a reprieve, but now outsiders are looking in, questioning whether Judge Kelly's Australia — like democracies everywhere — is on the slide.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews suggested this past week they could seek an exemption if they wanted to return earlier. Funny.

Given their last exemptions weren't worth the paper they were written on it would seem unlikely that option will be pursued by the tennis players. It has been reported elsewhere they are considering other options.

The saga around the Australian Open's number one drawcard could also have a broader impact.

It makes a potential Melbourne bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games look a little shaky.

Some of the countries traditionally invited to compete might not be able to bring a full team given their current inability to access vaccinations – still being hoarded by richer nations like toilet paper from supermarkets during an Aussie suburban lockdown.

The Australian women's basketball team, the Opals, is preparing to fly to Serbia in early February to compete in the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament.

Basketball Australia put in a bid to host the event here but the