In a classic case of bad timing, Whitcomb and her Australian women's basketball teammates will head to the tennis great's home country capital of Belgrade next month to play World Cup qualifiers.

They will be the first Australian sportspeople to visit Serbia for competition since Djokovic was deported on Sunday, after he lost his legal battle over COVID-19 entry rules.

Whitcomb said in a Basketball Australia statement that she has no concerns about the team's safety.

"I can't imagine that they'd be anything less than respectful of us and I don't expect any backlash," Whitcomb said.

"I'm sure there'll be a few Novak fans, that if they know we're from Australia, they might give us a couple of boos but nothing more than that."

BA added they had received Serbian government assurances that the team will be safe on the trip.

Whitcomb is among several Opals squad members playing WNBL matches in Ballarat.

The 16-player squad will gather in Sydney on January 31 for a five-day camp before heading to Belgrade for matches against Serbia, South Korea and Brazil from February 10-13.

As host nation, the Opals are guaranteed a place in the Sydney World Cup from September 22 to October 1.

Australian Associated Press