Novak Djokovic began his Australian Open campaign on Monday, defeating Pedro Martinez in straight sets.
It was a comprehensive victory for the Serbian superstar, who defeated his Spanish opponent 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
It was the perfect start for Djokovic, who is chasing a 25th Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne; one that would make him the outright leader in tennis history.
Unfortunately for the Serb, he will likely have to defeat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to win the title.
What does Novak Djokovic need to change to win a 25th Grand Slam title?
However, Djokovic can take great confidence from his first match in Melbourne, as he joined an exclusive list with Roger Federer – a six-time Australian Open champion.
Novak Djokovic has won 100 Australian Open matches
Djokovic is competing in his 21st ATP season, but this has not prevented him from continuing to defy all tennis logic.
With victory against Pedro Martinez on Monday, Djokovic became the second player in the Open Era to win 100 or more Men’s Singles matches at the Australian Open.
As reported by OptaAce, the only other player to do so is Roger Federer, who won 102 matches in Melbourne before his retirement in 2022.
Continuing, Djokovic is also the only player in tennis history to win 100 or more Men’s Singles matches at three Grand Slam events.
Djokovic has won 101 matches at Roland Garros and 102 contests at Wimbledon. The Serbian star has won 94 matches at the US Open.
Novak Djokovic reacts to reaching 100 wins at the Australian Open
After defeating Martinez, Djokovic reflected on his achievement, which was described as ‘extraordinary’ by the on-court interviewer.
“Thank you, thank you. I mean, what can I say?” Djokovic said.
Novak Djokovic would be the undisputed GOAT if he won Grand Slam number 25 – could anyone argue otherwise?
“I like the sound of it, you know, Centurion is a pretty nice feeling to be a centurion also in these numbers.
“Look, I always give my best whenever I’m on the court, obviously, history making is a great motivation, in particularly in the last, I don’t know, five, ten years, of my career, once I got myself in a position that I could, you know, eventually create history, obviously, I was even more inspired to play the best tennis and that’s what I’ve done.
“I was very fortunate early on in my career to encounter some people that taught me and guided me, to play the long shot, so to say, with my career, you know, not to burn out too quickly, you know, take care of my body, of my mind, and try to have as long as a career as possible.
“So I’m blessed to be still playing honestly at this level, making another win tonight here is obviously a dream come true. So thank you all for witnessing.”
Djokovic will play Francesco Maestrelli in the next round. Maestrelli, who defeated Terence Atmane in round one, could be the next Italian star on the ATP Tour.
