Novak Djokovic has made an impressive start in his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this year.
Djokovic suffered a physical setback ahead of the Australian Open this year, which forced him to withdraw from the Adelaide International.
However, that did not appear to affect the Serbian during his first round match, with Djokovic winning his 100th match at the Australian Open against Pedro Martinez.
Djokovic beat Martinez, 6-3 6-2 6-2, and he has now revealed that he did something on court that reminded him of another ATP player.
Novak Djokovic reveals what made him smile during his first round match at the Australian Open
During his two hour victory on Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic hit an impressive total of 49 winners past Martinez.
This includes a jumping forehand winner, which was recorded at 176km/h and Djokovic was asked about this in his post-match press conference.
Djokovic had a noticeable smirk on his face after hitting this winner, and he revealed that it was because he had reminded himself of former world number six Gael Monfils, who is retiring from tennis this year.
“I actually thought of Monfils. That’s why I smiled,” responded Djokovic.
Djokovic was then asked to talk through the shot, “There’s nothing much to talk. In addition to that because I connected well, and I didn’t hit too many of those in my career, but Gael did.
“We’ve seen him so many times in highlights. When I did that, he crossed my mind first. I was like, Now I know how he feels (smiling). Yeah, it felt good, definitely.”
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Djokovic has now won 100 matches at every Grand Slam tournament except the US Open, and the 38-year-old will have an opportunity to achieve that in New York this year if he reaches the semifinals.
Due to his age and physical issues coming into the tournament, Djokovic was also asked about how both his mind and body were feeling after his first win in Melbourne this year.
While he did not give too much away, Djokovic suggested that he was feeling good after his first match on Rod Laver Arena in 2026.
“It felt good tonight,” said Djokovic. “Let’s see how it’s going to feel in a few days’ time. Performance-wise, the feeling on the court, it was great. I couldn’t ask for more. Obviously a great serving performance.
“Just overall felt really good on the court that has made me feel good on it for so many times throughout my career. So let’s see what comes my way in a few days’ time.”
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Djokovic has two days off after his first round match at the Australian Open, as he now builds up to his next encounter against Italian Francesco Maestrelli.
This will be a first-time meeting between the two players, with the match taking place on Thursday, January 22.
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