Novak Djokovic enjoyed a dream start to the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory in round one.
Djokovic beat Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena as he bids to win an 11th title in Melbourne.
He is also chasing a 25th Grand Slam title, which would extend his lead over fellow ATP legends Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Australian Open fourth seed Djokovic leads the way with 24, followed by the 22 of Nadal and the 20 of Federer.
Who would be on your Mount Rushmore of tennis players?
John McEnroe claims other players ‘love’ Novak Djokovic
With a specific focus on Djokovic, tennis legend John McEnroe has now discussed the rivalry of the trio that once dominated men’s tennis.
He said on TNT Sports: “He was like Ivan Drago (from the Rocky films) with Nadal and Federer, who were so popular, and then along comes [Carlos] Alcaraz and everyone loves him.
“He (Djokovic) is like, ‘Where is my love? I deserve it’. And he does deserve it. He has been an unbelievable positive for our game and his record speaks for itself.
“He has always been extremely intelligent and the other players love him. So strut yourself, Novak, and enjoy every minute of it.”
Jim Courier praises ‘ridiculous’ Novak Djokovic feat
Djokovic now has 100 Australian Open wins to his name, having also hit that milestone at the French Open and Wimbledon.
He’s the only player to reach that number at three different majors, and needs just five more US Open wins to complete the set.
The potential record was helped by lengthy runs in 2025, when Djokovic reached the semifinals of all four tournaments.
Referencing that feat while discussing his chances of further success, former world number one Jim Courier told TNT Sports: “It comes down to his fitness.
“He’s said it’s challenging now to take on Alcaraz and [Jannik] Sinner in best-of-five. We’ll see. His game hasn’t aged the way his body has.
“It’s ridiculous that he made four semi-finals last year at his age. He’s more than capable of winning another major, and going for number 11 in Australia – almost half of his total if he gets to 25. He loves it there and plays well there. The question is whether he’s fit.”
How far do you think Novak Djokovic will go at the Australian Open?
It’s been a truly phenomenal career from the Serbian veteran, who clearly has no immediate plans of calling it a day anytime soon.
At 38, he’s understandably not the player he once was, but he’s certainly still a threat at Grand Slam level, which is a truly remarkable feat in itself.
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