By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@DjokerNole.
Novak Djokovic began his hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez in the Australian Open first round on Monday.
The flawless performance means Djokovic has reached a century of match wins in three of the four Grand Slams, with 95 at the U.S. Open.
Djokovic also equalled Roger Federer’s all-time men’s records with his 21st appearance in Melbourne and 81st at a Grand Slam overall, with the latter also being shared by Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.
The world number four only dropped five points out of 57 on serve across a two-hour exhibition of serving excellence.
“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 will face Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in the second round.
Meanwhile Daniil Medvedev overcame the Melbourne heat and serving issues to beat Jesper de Jong 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in the first round.
The 11th seed, fresh off a title win in Brisbane, came out on top after a topsy-turvy opening set that featured five breaks of serve as both players struggled with their delivery on Margaret Court Arena.
“The conditions felt slow, so we were both breaking each other’s serve a lot,” said Medvedev, who has finished runner-up three times at Melbourne Park.
Elsewhere former Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka turned the clock back to come from a set down and beat unseeded Serb Laslo Djere 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4), while Marin Cilic also flew the flag for the veterans with a more ruthless performance.