World No. 1 Novak Djokovic spent one of his important religious holidays in an Australian detention hotel working on his challenge against deportation. He has been receiving calls from Serbia, including from his parents and the president, hoping to boost his spirits.

A priest from the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Melbourne sought permission from immigration authorities to visit the nine-time Australian Open champion to celebrate Orthodox Christmas.

Border officials detained Djokovic at Melbourne’s airport when he arrived on Wednesday evening and revoked the visa he had been granted on the basis of a medical exemption from Australia’s strict Covid-19 vaccination requirements.

The initial decision to grant entry to Djokovic was met with outrage in Australia, a country with an adult vaccination rate of more than 90% that is battling its worst surge in infections since the pandemic began.

The Australian government pushed back on Friday against suggestions by Serbian supporters, including Djokovic’s family, that the star player was effectively a prisoner, stressing he is free to leave the country at any time.

“Mr. Djokovic is not being held captive in Australia, he is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and the Border Force will actually facilitate that,” Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews told reporters.

Djokovic’s lawyers successfully scrambled for urgent legal approval for him to remain in the country until a full court hearing in his case against the federal government on Monday.

The public hearing is expected to reveal more details about the exemption granted to Djokovic and the documentation he provided to immigration officials at the border to support it.