Fans at next week’s Australian Open have been warned they will be ejected if they excessively boo nine-times champion Novak Djokovic.

As the 35 year-old Serbian continued to try and win hearts and minds ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam, tournament chief Craig Tiley issued an ultimatum.

‘If they disrupt the enjoyment of anyone else – boom, they are out. We don’t want them on site. They can stay away or we will kick them out,’’ he told the Herald Sun.

Djokovic still insists he was harshly treated last year when he ended up being deported for not being vaccinated against Covid.

‘All of a sudden, I became the villain of the world, which was obviously a terrible position to be in as an athlete,’ he said.

Speaking to Channel Nine he appealed to be treated fairly by the public, which last week in Adelaide certainly appeared to be the case. Over the coming fortnight he can also count on the large population of Serbian heritage in the Victorian capital.

The first test in Melbourne comes when he plays a public exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios at the Open venue. It is being billed as a meeting of ‘Frenemies’ after their recent reconciliation.

‘I came in with all the valid papers,’ he added, referring to the events of 2022. “I really hope the crowd will be receiving me well. That’s something I cannot predict.

‘Obviously I wish for a positive reception but it’s in their hands. I don’t hold any grudges. I am definitely not against people of Australia. I think me being here proves how much I really want to be here and how much I want to play.’

Andy Murray said he has no time frame on any possible retirement plans after he won an exhibition match yesterday when he defeated China’s Zhang Zhizen 2-6 6-3 10-2.

‘If my body is in good shape and I'm still able to compete consistently, I'll keep playing," the two-time Wimbledon winner said. ‘But I can't look so far in advance with the age I'm at and with the issues I've had. If I was to have a big injury, I probably wouldn't try to come back from that.’

The draw for the Australian Open was due to take place in the early hours of this morning (4am UK). Two British women were scheduled to be in action overnight in the final round of the qualifying event, Jodie Burrage and Lily Miyazaki.