Nole continues to redefine tennis longevity and dominance.
Ten-time Australian Open champion started his quest for another title in Melbourne with a statement performance.
In the first round of the 2026 Australian Open, Novak displayed outstanding tennis and defeated world no.71 Pedro Martinez in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
With this win, the Serbian star made history once again, recording his 100th career victory at Melbourne Park.
The match on Rod Laver Arena lasted exactly two hours.
Novak came out strong, breaking his rival’s serve in the second game, and took an early 3-0 lead. He stayed in full control and comfortably closed the first set 6-3.
In the second set, Djokovic raised his level even more and completely dominated. He broke the Spaniard’s serve twice and confidently won the set 6-2 to go up 2:0.
Novak continued to play at a very high level in the third set, and with another double break he finished the match in style.
“Tonight’s performance was great, I can’t complain about anything. I served very well,” said Djokovic. “It’s always a challenge to kick-start the tournament on the right note and send the right signal not only to yourself but your opponents watching you play. I have a couple of days without a match to recover my body. I’m using every hour to get in shape for the next challenge.”
Match statistics: aces (14-2), double faults (0-6), winners (49-14), unforced errors (21-26), total points won (98-57).
Novak will next face 23-year-old Italian Francesco Maestrelli, who reached the main draw through the qualifying rounds.
The world no.141 is making his Grand Slam debut and has never played Novak before. The second round match is scheduled on Thursday.
Photo: Profimedia
