Watch: Novak Djokovic trains on clay ahead of Monte-Carlo Masters
Novak Djokovic is all set to return to action at the Monte-Carlo Masters following a bleak start to 2022. The Serb has played only three matches this year, defeating Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov at the Dubai Tennis Championships before falling to Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals.
The World No. 1 missed the Sunshine Double due to America's vaccine mandate, but has been cleared to compete at the ATP 1000 event in France. The Serb will headline the event, which will feature eight of the top 10 players in the ATP rankings. Rafael Nadal and Matteo Berrettini will miss out due to a rib and hand injury respectively.
In a video shared on social media by Jelena Medic, a sports reporter with Serbian tabloid Blic, Djokovic was spotted hitting the claycourt in Belgrade ahead of his first tournament on the red dirt this season.
Novak Đoković je trenirao danas na Dorćolu. Nole za nekoliko dana putuje za Monte Karlo. https://t.co/vDdFx0mmmK
The Serb was mainly focused on perfecting his serve, but also treated his fans to some forehands.
The Monte-Carlo Masters will be held from April 10-17, following which the 34-year-old will immediately begin his Serbia Open campaign (April 18-24). The 20-time Grand Slam champion is a two-time winner in both events.
Novak Djokovic is defending over 3,000 points in the clay season
It is vital that Novak Djokovic is fully prepared for the clay season since he is the ATP player who has the most to lose. The World No. 1 is defending a total of 3,530 ranking points, almost 200 points more than Stefanos Tsitsipas (3,355) in second place.
Points to defend during clay court season (Monte Carlo through Roland Garros)
Medvedev 790
Djokovic 3530
Zverev 2160
Nadal 2860
Tsitsipas 3355 https://t.co/v45eXk9UqI
At the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Serb is defending 90 points from his quarter-final finish in the 2019 edition. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has 600 and 500 points at stake at the Rome and Madrid Masters respectively, having finished as the runner-up in the former (2021) and champion (2019) in the latter.
Djokovic also has a total of 340 points to defend in Belgrade -- 250 points from a title triumph at the one-off Belgrade Open in 2021, and 90 points from his semi-final exit at the Serbia Open last year. The Serb will be defending 2000 points at Roland Garros, having won the title last year after vanquishing Tsitsipas in the final. This could likely mean that Djokovic will relinquish the top spot to Daniil Medvedev.