"I miss tennis after everything that has happened in the previous couple of months" - Novak Djokovic ahead of his return in Dubai

Novak Djokovic has revealed he has missed tennis ahead of his return to action at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships next week. The World No. 1 will be playing in his first tournament of the 2022 season after enduring a turbulent start to the year.

The Serb was forced to miss the 2022 Australian Open last month due to his deportation from the country, after a two-week saga over his visa and vaccination status. The nine-time Australian Open winner's rival, Rafael Nadal, won a men's record 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne to move ahead of the Serb on the Slam leaderboard.

The 34-year-old spoke for the first time since the debacle in Australia in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday. He said he would rather miss out on further Grand Slam titles than compromise his principles by unwillingly having the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 20-time Major champion has not played a competitive match since helping Serbia reach the semifinals of the 2021 Davis Cup Finals in Madrid in December.

Speaking at the Expo 2020 World Fair in Dubai, Djokovic expressed how pleased he was to be making his return to the match court.

"It feels great, it feels great to be here," said the Serb. "I always loved Dubai, I loved coming here. I had plenty of tennis success [in Dubai] and I'm excited to go out on the tennis court next Monday.

"I miss tennis, honestly, after everything that has happened in the previous couple of months. And of course, the purpose of the visit to the Expo is obviously promoting our foundation's work. I'm just glad that we managed to combine the schedule and it allowed me to be here with everyone."

Novak Djokovic is a five-time champion at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning the 2020 Dubai Tennis Championships

Novak Djokovic is a five-time champion at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The ATP 500 tournament will be held from February 21-26 at the Aviation Club Tennis Center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Serb won the event in his most recent appearance in 2020, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. He also lifted the Dubai crown in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.

Seven other top-20 players have entered the tournament: Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov, Aslan Karatsev and Roberto Bautista Agut. Karatsev is the defending champion, having triumphed in the 2021 edition to claim his maiden ATP title.