Novak Djokovic has begun his quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in Melbourne with a dominant first-round victory. The Serbian star, seeded fourth, defeated Pedro Martinez in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on Monday, January 19, 2026, at Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic's victory was his 100th at Melbourne Park, a historic milestone at his most successful event. He is now aiming to surpass Roger Federer's all-time record of 102 match wins at the tournament. Djokovic has achieved the impressive feat of recording 100 or more victories at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and Roland Garros. He is the only player to accomplish this at three different major tournaments.

The 38-year-old Djokovic showed no signs of rust in his first competitive match in two and a half months. He appeared confident and athletic, hitting tricky shots and blasting 49 winners. "It always feels good at the beginning of the tournament," Djokovic said. "Let's see how it progresses - tonight was definitely great". He added, "I'm using every hour that I can to get my body recovered and in shape for the next challenge".

Djokovic will face Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in the second round on Wednesday, January 21. He is heavily favored to win and would face an unseeded opponent in the third round.

Other notable results from Day 2 of the Australian Open include Iga Swiatek's victory over Yue Yuan, and Stan Wawrinka's win against Laslo Djere. Alexei Popyrin suffered a heartbreaking defeat in a five-set match against Alexandre Muller. Muller will face No.3 seed Alex Zverev in the second round.