Watch: Novak Djokovic trains at Tipsarevic Tennis Academy in Belgrade

Djokovic suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Czech qualifier Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships last week. Vesely defeated the Serb in straight sets, knocking him out of the tournament and ending his stay at No. 1

After the defeat in Dubai, Djokovic returned to Belgrade, where he along with former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic.

Tipsarevic, a former Serbian player, posted a picture with Djokovic and other players from his academy on his Instagram handle. He said that a "special guest" recently visited his academy, referring to the World No. 2. He also used a goat emoji while referring to Djokovic, hailing him as the greatest player of all time. The two were joined by former World No. 12 Viktor Troicki.

Djokovic enjoyed a 5-2 lead in the head-to-head over Tipsarevic, having defeated him on all three surfaces on the ATP tour.

Novak Djokovic will not compete at Sunshine Double in 2022

Despite undertaking a training session in Belgrade, Djokovic is unlikely to take part in any tournament in March. The Serb is on the entry list for the Indian Wells Masters and Miami Masters, collectively known as the Sunshine Double, but hinted that he won't travel to the United States as he is unvaccinated.

Interestingly, the 34-year-old is the only tennis player to have won the Sunshine Double four times.

The Serb was recently given the green light to defend his title at the 2022 French Open and contest in Monte-Carlo after the French government eased up on its vaccination policy. The country will remove vaccine passes in a couple of weeks, paving the way for the Serb to compete without being vaccinated. However, the situation could change with evolving COVID variants and rules set by countries.

Djokovic is also expected to play at the Italian Open, a Masters event that he has won on five occasions.

About the author

Anshul Singh is a Tennis author at Sportskeeda, currently pursuing Journalism Honors from Delhi University. Having significant experience with content, Anshul loves to cover tennis, football, and cricket. He has previously worked as a tennis writer for Essentiallysports and even as an editor for DU Express, penning riveting articles on sports, politics, and culture. Being an ardent follower of the Swiss maestro Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo, Anshul is willing to pay anything to watch them play. Other than sports, Anshul is an ardent debater and has also chaired several Model United Nations across the country.

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