Novak Djokovic received a warm welcome on the Madrid Open practice courts ahead of his first appearance at the competition since winning in 2019.
Djokovic has been absent from the Madrid Open for three years. The event was canceled in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic, and he decided to skip the competition last season.
The last time the 35-year-old stepped foot on the clay courts in the Spanish capital, he emerged as the winner after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2019 final. This year, Djokovic made a long-awaited return to Madrid and was welcomed by packed stands, who gave the Serbian a warm reception as he emerged onto the practice courts.
Djokovic has one of the biggest fan bases in professional tennis, which was evident once again as the world number one practiced with Pablo Carreno Busta in preparation for his second-round match against Carlos Gimeno Valero or Gael Monfils.
Djokovic received a first-round bye at the 2022 Madrid Open, which sealed a smooth progression into the second round. However, world number one may have preferred the match practice before the second round, as Djokovic has only been featured in three ATP tournaments this season.
The 35-year-old had a rocky start to the campaign, following early exits in Dubai and at the Monte-Carlo Masters. But Djokovic showed glimpses of a return to form by reaching the final of his hometown tournament in Belgrade before losing against Andrey Rublev in three sets.
Ultimately, the Serbian will aim to notch another Madrid Open title, but he has a dual focus: He will also try to keep his world number one ranking ahead of Daniil Medvedev.
In order to achieve his goal, Djokovic needs to win his second-round match and potentially head to the Italian Open after his Spanish stint for further success.