Novak Djokovic has declared his plans to enjoy "a great Australian summer" after being granted a visa to return to the country which will enable him to shoot for more grand slam glory in Melbourne.

The Serbian tennis great revealed he was "very happy" to receive the news that will allow him to go for a record-extending 10th Australian Open title.

The 35-year-old had been barred from Australia until 2025 after finding himself at the centre of major international drama on the eve of this year's event when he was held in a detention centre for attempting to enter the country while not vaccinated before being deported amid a legal battle.

But speaking in Turin after defeating Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals, the Serbian said: "It's a relief, obviously knowing what I and people closest to me in my life have been through this year with what happened in Australia and post-Australia obviously.

"I could not receive better news for sure — during this tournament as well. [The] Australian Open has been my most successful grand slam. I made some of the best memories there.

"Of course, I want to go back there, I want to play tennis, do what I do best, hopefully have a great Australian summer.

"I'm always thankful to go through experiences, no matter what the experiences are. I try to be optimistic and positive in life.

"I look forward to starting the new year in Australia, and we'll see how the next year goes."

The news came before Djokovic produced one of his performances of the year to outplay Rublev 6-4, 6-1 to qualify for the semi-finals of the season-ending event.

And he reckoned it may have helped his game out on court.

"Did it affect my game today? I would like to believe it did. Why not? I don't think it did affect me too much because I'm familiar with what I need to do in order to prepare myself for every match," he said.