Melbourne, Jan 19 (UNI) Novak Djokovic opened his Australian Open campaign in emphatic fashion on
Monday night with a commanding 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Spain’s Pedro Martinez at Rod Laver Arena, becoming the first man to register 100 match wins at the tournament.
Monday’s encounter, lasting just under two hours, was far less demanding for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
The comfortable straight-sets victory contrasted with Djokovic’s previous two Australian Open first-round appearances, in which he required four sets to get past young challengers Nishesh Basavareddy and Dino Prizmic.
At 38, Djokovic also reached two further milestones, equalling Federer’s record of 21 Australian Open men’s singles appearances and drawing level with Federer and Feliciano Lopez for the most Grand Slam singles appearances with 81.
Djokovic acknowledged the importance of longevity, crediting guidance received early in his career for helping him maintain both physical and mental conditioning over the years.
Martinez, ranked 71 in the world and a recent Challenger title winner in India, competed gamely but was unable to trouble the Serb, failing to earn a single break point. Djokovic broke early in each set and dominated on serve, while also winning 64 per cent of Martinez’s second-serve points.
Djokovic struck 49 winners in the match, with several spectator-pleasing forehands drawing loud applause from the Rod Laver Arena audience.
The Serbian star is now set to face Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in the second round after Maestrelli defeated Frenchman Terence Atmane in a five-set first-round contest.
Djokovic will be aiming to continue his bid for an 11th Australian Open title as the tournament progresses.
In another men’s singles match, Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka defeated Serbia’s Laslo Djere 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) to register his first main-draw win at Melbourne Park since 2021.
Playing his 20th Australian Open main draw and competing in his final season on tour, the 40-year-old wildcard produced an emotional performance in a match lasting three hours and 20 minutes. The victory came exactly 20 years after his Australian Open main-draw debut and marked his first Grand Slam main-draw win since Wimbledon 2024.
Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open champion, fed off strong fans support at a packed KIA Arena, recovering after losing the opening set and coming back from 2-4 down in the fourth before sealing the contest in a tiebreak. He struck 14 aces and 35 winners, while Djere committed 67 unforced errors.
The Swiss will next face French qualifier Arthur Gea, who upset 17th seed Jiri Lehecka and has won nine straight sets so fat at AO 2026.
