Novak Djokovic delivered a serving masterclass as he registered his 100th victory at the Australian Open with a straight-set win over Spain’s Pedro Martinez.
The world number four, who is bidding for a standalone record 25th Grand Slam singles title, only dropped five points out of 57 on serve across a two-hour exhibition of serving excellence.
The 38-year-old produced eight holds to love, only lost one point in each of the second and third sets and won 93% of points behind his first serve – all while maintaining a first-serve percentage of 77%.
The 10-time champion fittingly closed out the win with his 14th ace of the night, triumphing 6-3 6-2 6-2.
Mark Woodforde, a 17-time Grand Slam doubles champion, hailed Djokovic’s serving as “supreme” and “exceptional” on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra but the Serb offered a more understated assessment of his performance.
“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.”
After notching up a century of wins in Melbourne – a feat he has also achieved at Wimbledon (102) and Roland Garros (101) – Djokovic was treated to video highlights from his 2005 main-draw debut during his post-match interview.
Djokovic, in understandably jovial spirits, played down this period of reflection, insisting he will not get caught up in his career achievements until he has “put the racquet aside [and is] sipping some nice cocktail on the beach”.
Djokovic, who will face Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in the second round, continued: “It’s a nice feeling to be a centurion.
“History-making is great motivation. Particularly in the last five or 10 years of my career, once I got myself in a position where I could eventually create history, I was even more inspired to play the best tennis.
“I was fortunate early in my career to encounter people who guided me to play the long shot with my career, not to burn out too quickly, and take care of my body and my mind.
“I’m blessed to be playing at this level, and another win is a dream come true.”
De Minaur ‘not just making up the numbers’
Sixth seed Alex de Minaur believes he has the ability to be a serious contender for major honours and become the first Australian to win the men’s singles title at his home Grand Slam since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
The 26-year-old, who has reached the quarter-finals at each of the four majors, began his campaign with a dominant 6-2 6-2 6-2 win over lucky loser Mackenzie McDonald but insisted he has more to prove.
“I’ve got to the stage where I’m not just another number in the draw,” De Minaur said. “I’m playing to win it, to be one of the guys in contention. Ultimately, that’s the goal. It’s not about being satisfied [with this performance].”
Elsewhere, 13th seed Andrey Rublev beat Italian Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets while three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud, the 12th seed, lost just seven games en route to victory over Mattia Bellucci.
Spanish 14th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and American 19th seed Tommy Paul came through unscathed against Filip Misolic and Aleksandar Kovacevic respectively.
However, there was a surprise early exit for Czech 17th seed Jiri Lehecka, who fell to Arthur Gea in straight sets. The Frenchman, who came through qualifying, will face 40-year-old former champion Stan Wawrinka in round two.
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