Djokovic 'sweeps' into prepping for clay-court season

"Spring time means clay court time."

That's no lie, Novak Djokovic.

The ATP No. 1 is not in the U.S. this week for the Miami Open, as he is among a slew of superstars who withdrew for various reasons. Djokovic, 9-0 thus far in 2021 after raising his 18th major trophy at the Australian Open, is instead focused on preparing for an important stretch of the tennis calendar.

Wishing a Happy Persian New Year to his followers who celebrate the occasion, the 33-year-old uploaded a video of himself sweeping familiar red dirt in Monaco. Djokovic is a two-time former champion at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, where he is expected to begin his clay-court swing.

“Time to get those white socks dirty,” his social media caption included.

Last year, Djokovic won the lone Masters 1000 event staged on the surface at September's rescheduled Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. He then reached the Roland Garros final, finishing runner-up to Rafael Nadal.