Plane thought to be carrying Djokovic departs

A plane believed to be carrying Novak Djokovic took off from Melbourne Airport on Sunday after a court dismissed the top-ranked tennis star’s appeal against a deportation order.

Three Federal Court judges unanimously upheld a decision made on Friday by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to cancel the 34-year-old Serb’s visa on public interest grounds. Djokovic said he was "extremely disappointed" with the decision by the court but respected it.

A deportation order usually means a three-year ban on returning to Australia.