Djokovic has shared footage of his first practice session at the Monte Carlo Country Club ahead of next week’s Masters 1000 at the venue. The world No 1 resides in Monaco and knows the club well, training there throughout the year.
He will make his long-awaited tennis return at the tournament, which begins next Sunday, after crashing out of the Dubai Championships during the quarter-final stage to qualifier Jiri Vesely back in February. Dubai was the Serb’s first event of the season after he was deported from Australia ahead of the Grand Slam in January, and he has not played since due to his unvaccinated status keeping him out of Indian Wells and Miami.
The 34-year-old was originally set to miss Monte Carlo when France introduced vaccine pass rules that meant all people entering sports venues, including athletes themselves, had to be fully vaccinated even if outdoors. But the restrictions were dropped in mid-March, meaning both the French Open and Monte Carlo Masters were added back into his 2022 calendar.
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In order to go into the French Open, where he is defending champion, as the world No 1, Djokovic will need to reach at least one Masters 1000 final and win the ATP 250 in Belgrade he is signed up for.
There are currently doubts over whether he will be able to play the other two clay courts Masters events in Madrid and Rome due to Spain and Italy’s Covid travel restrictions, so he will need to reach the Monte Carlo final. Djokovic played both Belgrade tournaments at his Novak Tennis Centre last year, reaching the semis of Belgrade 1 and winning Belgrade 2, but there is only one Serbia Open being held in 2022 so he will need to win it to stay at the top of the rankings.
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