Photo credit: Rob Stone/@RobStoneTennis
Playing his first match in two months, Novak Djokovic transformed Rod Laver Arena into a launching pad.
The 10-time AO champion landed a major Melbourne milestone in the process.
Two games into the third set, Djokovic went airborne launching a 109 mph forehand rocket winner that brought a smile to his face.
That was one highlight of Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 dismissal of Pedro Martinez in his AO opener.
It was Djokovic’s 100th career Australian Open victory.
The 38-year-old Serbian superstar joins rival Roger Federer, who won 102 Melbourne matches, as the only other player in history—man or woman—to register 100 or more match wins at the Australian Open. Given Djokovic lost his first two AO matches, he’s gone a remarkable 100-8 since then winning a record 10 Australian Open championships.
Tonight, the fourth-seeded Serbian truly looked like the third best player in the world behind No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, whom Djokovic defeated in the 2025 AO quarterfinals and two-time champion Jannik Sinner, who has beaten Djokovic five times in a row.
“It felt good tonight. Let’s see how it’s going to feel in a few days’ time,” Djokovic told the media in Melbourne. “Performance-wise, the feeling on the court, it was great. I couldn’t ask for more.
“Obviously a great serving performance. Just overall felt really good on the court that has made me feel good on it for so many times throughout my career. So let’s see what comes my way in few days’ time.”
In his pre-tournament presser, Djokovic conceded “I’m missing a little bit of juice in my legs, to be honest, to be able to compete with these guys at the later stages of a Grand Slam.”
One way to conserve leg strength is exterminate points quickly on serve.
Tennis terminator Djokovic did exactly that. In one of his most imposing serving performances, Djokovic served 77 percent permitted just five points on serve, including winning 11 of 13 second-serve points and pumped 14 aces against no double faults.
How dominant was the Djokovic serve? Djokovic delivered eight love holds and breezed through 16 of his last 17 points on serve in the match.
It all added up to a declarative two-hour triumph that sends Djokovic into a second-round showdown vs. Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli.
Continuing his quest to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, Djokovic raised his major record to 398-55.