Watch: Novak Djokovic practices with Vasek Pospisil at his tennis academy in Belgrade

Novak Djokovic was recently spotted practicing at his tennis academy in Belgrade as he gears up for his return to action. The World No. 1 traded hits with Canada's Vasek Pospisil at the Novak Tennis Center.

Croatia's top-ranked doubles pairing of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also trained at the Serb's academy and posed for a picture with the 20-time Slam champion.

The World No. 1 has not played a competitive match since the Davis Cup in December. He flew to Melbourne to defend his Australian Open title last month, but was deported from Australia due to problems with his visa and vaccination status.

The 34-year-old, who is back in Belgrade, recently met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Djokovic thanked Vucic for supporting him throughout his turbulent stay in Melbourne.

"I wanted to meet with you today because, primarily as a citizen of Serbia, I felt a great need to thank you for great support that you, as the president of Serbia, gave me, as well as all state institutions during the unfortunate events in Australia," said Djokovic.

"Although I was alone in detention, and faced with many problems and challenges, I wasn't feeling lonely. I had huge support primarily from my family, all of the close people in my life, entire Serbian nation, many people with good intentions from the region and the world," he added.

Novak Djokovic to compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships

The 34-year-old is the World No. 1 despite missing the Australian Open

Despite missing the Australian Open, Djokovic is still the top-ranked player in the world. The World No. 1 is set to kick off his 2022 season at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Also in the field are Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Robert Bautista Agut and reigning champion Aslan Karatsev.

Djokovic has won the Dubai Tennis Championships five times so far and will be the favorite to take home the title this year.

But his plans for the rest of the season are still up in the air. The Serb has not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, which could prevent him from participating in some big events this year, including the French Open. However, Djokovic's biographer Daniel Muksch recently hinted that the World No. 1 could receive his jab soon.