Novak Djokovic has been dominant through two rounds of the 2026 Australian Open.
The 10-time champion defeated Pedro Martinez in his opener, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Then, in round two, Djokovic beat Francesco Maestrelli by the same scoreline.
He’s looked mightily impressive and has only spent four hours and 15 minutes on the court at this year’s Australian Open so far.
Who has been the best player at the Australian Open so far?
Many think that’s good news for his title chances, as they believe Djokovic needs to conserve as much energy as possible for a potential semifinal clash with the two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.
John McEnroe isn’t convinced by that theory, though, looking back to last year’s US Open as an example of what happened when Djokovic arrived at the semis without being tested.
However, looking at the data, McEnroe might be wrong…
John McEnroe is wrong about what happened at the 2025 US Open
Speaking to TNT Sports, McEnroe shared his thoughts on Djokovic’s first two matches at the Australian Open.
“Winning early is the most important factor,” he said.
“We say that now, but remember the US Open, he did exactly that, and then he had two days off before he played the semis, and he looked spent.
“So, I don’t know if it matters that much.”
McEnroe seemed to imply that Djokovic made his way through to the US Open semifinals without much trouble, but the numbers tell another story.
Of the four US Open semifinalists, only Felix Auger-Aliassime spent more time on court reaching the semifinals than Djokovic.
| Player | Sets played | Games played | Time on court |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 15 | 138 | 9 hours, 33 minutes |
| Jannik Sinner | 16 | 133 | 10 hours, 12 minutes |
| Novak Djokovic | 18 | 172 | 12 hours, 59 minutes |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 17 | 188 | 16 hours, 4 minutes |
Dropping sets in three separate matches (2R vs Zachary Svajda, 3R vs Cameron Norrie, and QF vs Taylor Fritz), Djokovic accumulated 12 hours and 59 minutes of match time in the lead-up to his semifinal match.
His opponent, Alcaraz, on the other hand, didn’t drop a set on his way to the semis and spent 3 hours and 26 minutes less on court.
Therefore, the notion that Djokovic won early at the US Open is simply incorrect, especially when comparing his numbers to those of his rivals.
So… Djokovic does deserve credit for the way he’s made it through to the third round in Australia, and yes, that could pay dividends should he reach the latter stages.
In McEnroe’s defence, he did later reiterate the importance of winning early, so maybe he simply misremembered Djokovic’s route through to the 2025 US Open semifinals.
“If you’re one of the top guys, you don’t want to play a couple of best-of-five-set matches in the first week, and your energy’s gone the second week,” he said.
With that cleared up, Djokovic fans can celebrate what has been a near-perfect start to his 2026 Australian Open campaign.
But how has his dominance compared to that of his fellow title favorites, Alcaraz and Sinner?
| Player | Sets played | Games played | Time on court |
| Jannik Sinner | 5 | 40 | 2 hours, 57 minutes |
| Novak Djokovic | 6 | 50 | 4 hours, 15 minutes |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 6 | 60 | 4 hours, 50 minutes |
Unfortunately for Djokovic, Sinner benefited from a first-round retirement, which helped him reach the third round with less than three hours spent on court.
An average of 2 hours and seven minutes on court per match is still impressive, though, and if Djokovic can keep that up, he’ll be fresh for a potential semifinal showdown with Sinner.
Who will Novak Djokovic play next at the Australian Open?
As much as Djokovic would love a shot at Sinner in the semifinals, there’s work to be done before then.
Next up for the Serb is a tricky third-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp.
How far do you think Novak Djokovic will go at the Australian Open?
The pair have met twice before, at the 2021 Astana Open and at the 2025 Indian Wells tournament.
Djokovic won their first encounter in Kazakhstan, but lost to the Dutchman in California.
Van de Zandschulp is ranked 75th in the world and has only been past the third round of a Grand Slam once (2022 Wimbledon).
Don’t let his ranking fool you, though, as Van de Zandschulp often plays his best tennis against the big names, and has wins over Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Rafael Nadal.
Only time will tell if he can pick up another upset win when he meets Djokovic in Melbourne.
Djokovic and Van de Zandschulp will face off with a place in the last-16 up for grabs on Saturday, January 24.
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