The president of Serbia praised tennis star Novak Djokovic on Thursday, referring to his bid to play at the Australia open - despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19 - as a "great fight."

"Thank you for the great fight you fought in Australia," Aleksandar Vucic told Djokovic during a meeting in Belgrade.

An Australian Federal Court last month decided to cancel the world number one's visa after days of wrangling over the country's COVID-19 entry rules, forcing him to miss the Grand Slam tournament and return to Serbia.

(With input from Reuters)