World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has said he is ready to put a difficult start to the year behind him as he prepares to kick-off his clay court season at the Monte Carlo Masters this week.

Djokovic is set to play just his second tournament of the year in Monte Carlo and first since he reached the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.

That came after he was deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open having arrived in the country unvaccinated against Covid-19.

"The last four, five months have been really challenging for me mentally and emotionally, but here I am. I try to leave all of that behind me and move on," Djokovic told reporters on Sunday.

The 34-year-old will face world No. 46 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday as he begins preparation to defend his French Open next month. (CNN)