Novak Djokovic “resolved a question” and “set a marker” with his dominant opening round 2026 Australian Open win over Pedro Martinez, according to a former British No 1.
The tennis legend delivered an imperious display to crush world No 71 Martinez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours on Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic was outstanding on serve as he landed 77% of his first serves, won 52 of his 57 total service points, fired down 14 aces and did not face a break point.
The 38-year-old Serbian, who is chasing an 11th Australian Open crown and 25th Grand Slam overall, also recorded a sublime ratio of 49 winners to 21 unforced errors.
The world No 4’s victory was a landmark 100th win at the Australian Open, which makes him the first man to reach 100 wins at three different Grand Slams (Djokovic has 102 wins at Wimbledon and 101 at Roland Garros).
He is now just two wins away from equalling Roger Federer’s record of 102 Australian Open men’s singles match wins.
What did Novak Djokovic say after his opening round win?
Following his dismantling of Martinez, Djokovic gave his reaction to his latest remarkable feat.
“I always give my best whenever I’m on the court,” he said. “History; making it is a great motivation, particularly in the last five-10 years of my career.
“Once I got myself in a position where I could eventually create history, obviously I was even more inspired to play the best tennis and that’s what I’ve done.
“I was very fortunate early on in my career to encounter some people who taught me and guided me to play the long shot, so to say, with my career. Not to burn out too quickly, take care of my body and my mind and try to have as long a career as possible.
“I’m blessed to be still playing at this level and another win tonight here is obviously a dream come true.”
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Djokovic also addressed how his body felt having entered the tournament with questions over his physical condition.
“It always feels good at the beginning of the tournament,” Djokovic said. “Let’s see how I progress. I cannot complain about tonight’s performance.
“I served really well, to kick-start the competition in the right way on the right note and send the right signal, not just to yourself but your opponents too.
“I have a couple of days without a match, recover my body, I’m using every hour I can to get my body in shape. Let’s hope for the best.”
What did analysts say about Novak Djokovic’s performance?
Former British tennis stars Tim Henman and Laura Robson discussed Djokovic’s victory on TNT Sports.
Tim Henman, a former world No 4:
“An absolutely clinical performance from Djokovic. All aspects of his game were firing on all cylinders.
“The serving was just absolutely spot on. At the back of the court, the movement was sharp.
“If you could have given Djokovic the opportunity to write the script for the first round match, that would have been it. He was so clean with everything in his game. There were no real hiccups, there were no dips in concentration.
“We talked about him trying to conserve energy for the latter stages of the tournament; to be out there for just two hours on the dot, straight sets victory, it was a perfect night’s work.
“I think if Djokovic is going to have a chance if he gets to the latter stages, matches like these are important, and tonight was ideal.”
Laura Robson, a former world No 27:
“It was 49 winners, just outstanding from Djokovic.
“If there was any question mark about the movement, I feel like that’s kind of resolved.
“Very fast around the court, but very small, quick steps as well, so that intensity was there from the start.
“It felt like it set a marker for the other players in the draw, because obviously we pencil in Alcaraz and Sinner towards the final, but there’s really Novak and then everyone else for that number three spot.”
Watch every match of the Australian Open live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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