Novak Djokovic has made clear he wants to move on from last year’s deportation debacle - even if he’ll never forget it.

But would the Australian Open crowds feel the same way? It was one of the big unknowns ahead of this year’s tournament: would the nine-time champion be applauded or abhorred?

After all, it was only a year ago that 71 per cent of Australians agreed the Serbian should be sent home after he tried to enter the country without a COVID-19 vaccination.

Despite his unprecedented record at Melbourne Park, Djokovic has never enjoyed the kind of crowd support bestowed on the likes of Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. So it has gone around the world throughout his career.

He was warmly welcomed in Adelaide two weeks ago where he won the Adelaide International 1 and notched up his 92nd tour title – though that was no guarantee of how he would go in Melbourne, where COVID-19 politics were felt most fiercely of all.

But Djokovic was uniformly cheered at his practice match against Nick Kyrgios last week, and at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday night, there could be no doubt that Australians have forgiven and forgotten whatever gripes they may have once had with the king of Melbourne Park.

The near-full stadium erupted as Djokovic returned to his most successful court for the first time in two years. The late hour was no deterrent; Djokovic and his Spanish opponent Roberto Carballes Baena walked on at 10.30pm, having been delayed by the long-running earlier matches.

Most of the crowd stood to applaud their arrival. Serbian fans were out in force, of course, waving flags and chanting the customary “No-le” chant. The whole crowd was supportive, except for a few errant boos and a man who yelled “You’re a wanker, Novak” seconds before the opening ball.