MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic had the big stage and a list of milestones that he needed to celebrate with his 100th win at the Australian Open.
He delivered the kind of performance that showed his rivals and his fans he's here with a single objective: a 25th Grand Slam title.
The 38-year-old Djokovic equaled two all-time tennis records by starting his 21st Australian Open and his 81st Grand Slam event, and he added another milestone Monday night with his 100th win at Melbourne Park.
He already owns so many tennis records, but he really liked the sound of this one.
“I mean, what can I say? Centurion is pretty nice,” Djokovoic said after his 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 first-round win over Pedro Martinez of Spain. “Nice feeling.”
His record now stands at 100-10 at the Australian Open, where he's won 10 titles. And that makes him the first man to win 100 or more matches on three surfaces at the Grand Slams, with his 102 on grass at Wimbledon and 101 on clay at Roland Garros.
What the winner of 24 major championships really wants more than anything is to win six more matches across the next two weeks, enough to become the most decorated tennis player of all time. He already owns the records for most men's Grand Slam singles titles and most in the Open era.
On Monday, he equaled Federer's 21 Australian Open appearances, and the overall Grand Slam record that Federer shared with Feliciano Lopez.
“History making is a great motivation,” he said.
Djokovic showed signs of vintage form, with a running crosscourt forehand winner near the end of the first set that he saluted with a ripping-the-cord celebration.
In the third set, he said he was channeling Gael Monfils when he leaped into another forehand and smacked a winner crosscourt.
His service stats laid down a solid marker: 77% first serves in, 93% first serve points won, 85% second serve points won and 14 aces. He didn't face a break point.
“Performance-wise, the feeling on the court, it was great. I couldn’t ask for more. Obviously a great serving performance,” he said, adding that the commanding victory was “sending the right signal, not just to yourself but to all your opponents.”
Speaking of opponents, he has noticed that the reworked Carlos Alcaraz service motion looks remarkably like his own. He joked that he'd been in touch with the 22-year-old Spaniard, who is trying to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the Australian title.
“As soon as I saw it, I sent him a message (and) I said, 'You know, we have to speak about the copyrights!” he joked in his post-match news conference.
“Then when I saw him here, I told him we have to talk about percentage of his winnings,” he added, smiling. “Every ace I expect a tribute to me!”
Djokovic didn't play any warmup tournaments, saving himself for the big occasion in a bid to win a major title that has eluded him since 2023.
“I’m using every hour that I can to get my body recovered and in shape for the next challenge,” he said.
He reached the semifinals at all four majors in 2025 but couldn't break the stranglehold that Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner — the rivalry known as Sincaraz — have had on the biggest trophies in the sport for the last two years.
Djokovic acknowledged ahead of the tournament that Alcaraz and two-time defending Australian Open champion Sinner are playing on a different level right now, but he said if he can put everything together at the right time he's still capable of beating anyone.
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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