Novak Djokovic's 100th Australian Open victory sends message to rivals in pursuit of 25th Grand Slam title

Novak Djokovic notched his 100th Australian Open win in his 2026 tournament opener on Monday, but reaching a quarter century of Grand Slam titles remains the number of more interest to him.

Djokovic's hunt for 25, which would break his tie with Margaret Court for the record, has been an obsession over the last two years - and on this evidence, the 38-year-old could well be on course for that magic number.

"To be a centurion is a pretty nice feeling," Djokovic said on court after disposing of Spain's Pedro Martinez - ranked 71st in the world - in straight sets.

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"I always give my best whenever I'm on the court. History making is a great motivation - and particularly in the last five, 10 years of my career."

Djokovic's 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory was achieved, crucially, in exactly two hours on court. Crucial because a 100 per cent fit and fully rested Djokovic is still arguably the best player in the world, even at his age and when held up against young bucks Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz who have dominated the men's game in more recent times.

Djokovic admitted prior to the tournament that he lacks "a little bit of juice" when it comes to competing with the world's top two, before adding: "When I'm healthy, when I'm able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on a given day, I feel like I can beat anybody."

The problem for Djokovic is that's rarely been the case when he's faced those two of late. Clashing deeper in tournaments, he's had little left in the tank and been disposed of with minimal fuss.

Since his 2023 US Open triumph to win No 24, Djokovic's run at the four majors has been ended by Sinner or Alcaraz on five out of eight occasions, with injury the culprit in two other instances - and four of those defeats have come in straight sets.

The one time Djokovic did come out on top, in an epic quarter-final clash with Alzaraz in Melbourne last year, the excursion required resulted in an injury withdrawal just one set into his subsequent semi-final against Alexander Zverev.

"It always feels good at the beginning of the tournament," Djokovic reasoned with regards to his body after his emphatic victory over Martinez. "Let's see how I progress.

"Tonight's performance was definitely great. I cannot complain about anything; I served very well."

'Phenomenal' Djokovic serve sends message to rivals

Djokovic's serve is certainly a key to him being able to manage his minutes and maintain his health into the latter rounds in Melbourne, with his match against Martinez his first competitive action since early November due to various niggles that ended his 2025 season early.

He certainly provided the template to follow: across 13 service games, Djokovic dropped just five total points, winning 41 out of 44 on his first serve in an utterly dominant display that also included 14 aces as he quickly dispelled any concerns to over form or fitness.

"It was absolutely phenomenal from Djokovic," former British No 1 Tim Henman said on TNT Sports.

"You're looking to build rhythm in your whole game in the first round of a Grand Slam - and Novak hasn't played for quite some time - but he came out, hit his spots and was able to dictate if the ball did come back.

"It was such a strong foundation for him to build from. His first serve percentage was up in the 80s in the first two sets, and first serve points won was up in the 90s.

"Martinez just had no look at Djokovic's serve. And if he is going to progress into the latter stages of the tournament, it's important he keeps that serve going - as that conserves energy and gives him even more freedom in his return games.

"If you could have given Djokovic the opportunity to write the script for his first round match, that would have been it. It was a perfect night's work."

And it was a perfect night's work the Serb hopes his rivals were watching, with Sinner in his half of the draw and a possible semi-final opponent, before Alcaraz stands in the way of No 25 in a potential final clash.

"It's always a challenge to kick-start the competition in the right way, sending the right signal to not just yourself but all the opponents watching you play," Djokovic added.

"I now have a couple of days without a match to recover my body. I'm using every hour I can to get my body in shape for the next challenge. Let's hope for the best.

"I'm blessed to still be playing at this level and claiming another win tonight is obviously a dream come true."

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