Novak Djokovic achieved his 100th Australian Open win on Monday in the opening round of the 2026 tournament, but completing a quarter-century of Grand Slam titles remains his bigger concern.
Djokovic has been determined for the past two years to break the record tie with Margaret Court for 25th place. And based on this evidence, there’s a good chance the 38-year-old Djokovic is on track to hit that magic number.
“It feels great to be a centurion,” Djokovic said on court after defeating world No. 71 Pedro Martinez of Spain in straight sets.
“I give my all every time I’m on the court. Making history is a great motivation, especially in the last five to 10 years of my career.”
Djokovic’s 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory was decisively achieved in just two hours on court. It’s important that Djokovic is 100 percent healthy and well-rested, as he remains arguably the best player in the world, even at his age, even going up against youngsters Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have dominated the men’s game in recent years.
Djokovic admitted before the tournament that he was “a little lacking” to compete against the world’s top two players, but added: “When I’m healthy, I feel like if I can put all the pieces of the puzzle together that day, I can beat anyone.”
Novak Djokovic easily defeats Pedro Martinez to win the second round of the Australian Open
The problem for Djokovic is that very little of that has happened in recent matches against the two. Crashing in the tournament, he had little left in the tank and was disposed of with minimal fuss.
Since winning the 2023 US Open in 24th place, Djokovic has been stopped by either Sinner or Alcaraz in five of his eight Grand Slam matches, the other two due to injuries, and he has lost four of them in straight sets.
Djokovic only reached the top once, in a spectacular quarter-final match against Alzala in Melbourne last year, but because he had to travel, he was forced to leave the following semi-final match against Alexander Zverev with an injury after just one set.
“I always feel good at the beginning of a tournament,” Djokovic said of his physical condition after his strong win over Martinez. “Let’s see how I progress.
“Tonight’s performance was definitely great. I can’t complain about anything. The service was very good.”
‘Incredible’ Djokovic’s serve sends message to rivals
Djokovic’s serve will certainly be key to his ability to manage his minutes and stay healthy for the later rounds in Melbourne. The game against Martinez was the first official game since early November, after various issues forced an early end to the 2025 season.
Novak Djokovic only dropped five points on serve throughout his first round match against Pedro Martinez
He certainly provided a template to follow. Through 13 service games, Djokovic dropped just five points in total and won 41 of 44 first serves in an absolutely dominant performance, including 14 aces, quickly dispelling concerns about his form and fitness.
“Djokovic’s play was absolutely phenomenal,” former British No. 1 Tim Henman said on TNT Sports.
“In the first round of a Grand Slam, you want to establish a rhythm for the whole match, and Novak, who hasn’t played in a long time, came out and was able to hit his spots and decide whether the ball was coming back or not.
“That was a very strong foundation for him to build on. In the first two sets, his first serve probability went up in the 80s and his first serve points won went up in the 90s.
“Martinez wasn’t looking at Djokovic’s serve at all. And if he’s going to progress into the later stages of the tournament, it’s important that he continues that serve because it saves energy and gives him more freedom in the return game.”
“If Djokovic had been given the opportunity to script the first-round match, that would have been it. It was a perfect night’s work.”
And it was the perfect night’s work that the Serbian hoped his rivals would take note of. Sinner is in his own half with a draw and could be his opponent in the semi-finals, with 25th-placed Alcaraz standing in his way for a potential final.
“It’s always difficult to start a tournament in the right way and send the right signals not only to yourself but to all your opponents who are watching you play,” Djokovic added.
“Right now I’m taking a few days without matches to let my body recover. I’m taking all the time I can to get my body in shape for the next challenge. Let’s hope for the best.”
“I’m happy to still be playing at this level and to get another win tonight was obviously a dream come true.”
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