Novak Djokovic gives training update as he prepares for Monte-Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic has given his followers an insight into his training progress as he prepares to return to competitive action this week.

Djokovic, 33, has played in just one tournament in 2022, reaching the quarter final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before losing to qualifier Jiri Vesely. That's been due to his controversial stance on Covid-19, with the Serbian's refusal to be vaccinated costing him a chance to defend his Australian Open title in January.

The saga proved an explosive one, with Djokovic eventually being deported from the country a day before the tournament having initially successfully appealed the ruling. He attempted to enter both the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Open in America, but was forced to withdraw over the country's vaccination rules.

Despite his inactivity, Djokovic has managed to regain the world No 1 status he lost to Daniil Medvedev, with the Russian underwhelming in both US tournaments. And despite being desperately short of match practice ahead of the French Open in May, the 20-time Grand Slam champion will make a much-needed comeback this weekend.

He's entered into the Monte-Carlo Masters, which forms a crucial part of the build up to Roland Garros. And he's taken to Twitter to post a 22-second clip of himself practising on clay, seamlessly hitting a number of backhand and forehands.

He also tagged tournament organisers in the post, along with waving hand and smiling face emojis. The clip appears to have gone down well with his nine million followers, having racked up over 1,500 retweets and 12,000 likes within 12 hours of being posted.

However, responses reflected the current divisive nature of Djokovic, with the likes of @ToniNicfam pleased to see him back.