Novak Djokovic embarked on his latest quest to win a record 25th Grand Slam by easing to an ominous straight-sets victory last night at the Australian Open.
The Serb dismissed Spain’s Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and meets Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in the second round.
It was his landmark 100th Australian Open victory.
"Great to be back once again, definitely my favorite court,” the 38-year-old told Rod Laver Arena. “Centurion is pretty nice. I always give my best on the court, history-making is a great motivation.”
He added: “I am blessed to be still playing at this level.”
Djokovic pulled out of a warm-up event this month, saying he was not physically ready.
His last competitive match was in early November as he attempts to limit the wear and tear on his creaking body.
But he showed no signs of discomfort or rustiness in moving freely around the Melbourne Park hard court to seal the first set with minimum fuss. The second and third sets went much the same way, the only moment of concern for Djokovic fans coming when he stretched out his right hamstring in between games late on.
Djokovic will need to gatecrash the duopoly of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner if he is to break a tie with Margaret Court and win a record 25th major. He has been stuck on 24 major titles since winning the US Open in 2023.
In women’s action, Iga Swiatek survived a fright before battling past Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 after more than two hours.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
