Rome, May 6 (IANS) Former World No.1 and the most successful player in the Grand Slam tournaments, Novak Djokovic, will return to the ATP Tour this week at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and will spend time on Tuesday practising on a temporary court at the famous Piazza del Popolo in Rome.

The 38-year-old Djokovic looked in a relaxed mood in the Italian capital, where he practised before signing autographs for the hundreds of fans watching from the square, according to a report by the ATP Tour’s website.

Djokovic is set to compete for the first time since he lost to Jack Draper in the fourth round in Indian Wells on 12 March. The Serbian has not played a tour-level match on clay since his Roland Garros semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner last June.

The former No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings holds a 68-12 record in Rome, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, a tally that includes title runs at the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2022.

Djokovic, who is competing in Rome for the first time since his third-round exit to Alejandro Tabilo in 2024, will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics or Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic at the Foro Italico in his opening match. The 101-time tour-level titlist is also seeded to face Italian and eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals.

Musetti eyes the Rome crown

Italian tennis has hit new heights in recent years. Jannik Sinner has climbed to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings and captured 28 tour-level titles. The Italian men have won three consecutive Davis Cup titles, while the women have won the past two Billie Jean King Cup editions.

World No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti played his part in Davis Cup successes and has become a major force at the top of the game. The 24-year-old, who has reached a career high of No. 5, has advanced to multiple major semi-finals and reached the final at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo last year.

This week, Musetti will lead the Italian charge alongside Sinner at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and is excited about the current status of tennis in Italy.

“I feel tennis right now is probably one of the most viral and most popular sports in the world, and especially in Europe and Italy right now,” Musetti told ATP Media in his pre-tournament interview. “I think we are thanking Jannik, who is No. 1 in the world and has achieved so many titles. Jasmine Paolini on the women’s side, and others and I.

–IANS

bsk/