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March 11 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic, who slipped from his No. 1 ranking and is barred from many tennis tournaments due to his unvaccinated status, plans to participate in next month's Monte-Carlo Masters, his team announced Friday. "Novak will open his 2022 clay court season in Monte-Carlo, where he won the Masters 1000 title twice, in 2013 and 2015," Djokovic's team wrote in a statement on his website.
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"The tournament will be held at the Monte-Carlo Country Club from April 10 until April 17. Last year Novak fell to Daniel Evans in the third round."
The Monte-Carlo Masters is held in France, just outside of the Monaco border,
Monaco, where Djokovic resides, allows international travelers to enter with proof of COVID-19 recovery within the last six months. Djokovic said he tested positive for COVID-19 -- for a second time -- in December.
France recently loosened its COVID-19 restrictions and is soon expected to drop its requirement for vaccine passports. That move also could clear the way for Djokovic's first Grand Slam appearance of 2022.
The Monaco tournament serves as one of many warm-up clay court season competitions for the 2022 French Open. The second Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season runs from May 22 to June 5 at Roland Garros in Paris.
Djokovic was not allowed to participate in the season's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, due to his deportation from Australia because he was not vaccinated. The Serbian tennis star also is not permitted to participate in American tournaments due to United States COVID-19 rules for international travel.
Djokovic, ranked No. 2 in the world, lost to Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Feb. 24 in Dubai.
