MELBOURNE, Australia — Tennis star Novak Djokovic lost his legal challenge to remain in Australia on Sunday, clearing the way for the country to deport him and denting his hopes of competing in the Australian Open.

After a weekend of hurried court hearings, a panel of three Australian federal justices upheld the immigration minister’s decision to cancel the unvaccinated athlete’s visa on the grounds that his presence in the country might incite anti-vaccine sentiment and “civil unrest.”

Although it is possible for Djokovic to appeal the ruling to Australia’s High Court, the country’s top judicial body, the timing of the decision – roughly 24 hours before Djokovic was due to take to the tennis court – makes another appeal almost impossible.

a real set back for him