By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (Reuters) – 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 Serb easing pre-tournament concerns about his fitness with a sparkling display.
Doubts had been raised about Djokovic’s preparedness for the major he has won a record 10 times after the 38-year-old skipped the Adelaide tune-up event and cut short practice on Sunday, but he had no trouble sealing his 100th match win at Melbourne Park.
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.
“What can I say? I like the sound of it – centurion is pretty nice, it’s a nice feeling to be a centurion,” Djokovic said as a montage of his greatest Melbourne moments on Rod Laver Arena played out on the big screen.
“History-making is great motivation, particularly in the last five to 10 years of my career. Once I got myself into a position to eventually make history, I was even more inspired to play the best tennis, and that’s what I’ve done.
“I was very fortunate early on in my career to encounter people who taught me and guided me to play the long shot, not burn out too quickly, to take care of my body and mind and try to have as long a career as possible.
“I’m blessed to be playing at this level and another win here tonight is a dream come true.”
A potentially tricky start against first-time opponent Martinez turned into a routine workout when Djokovic seized control with a break and never loosened his grip under the bright lights of the main showcourt to take the opening set.
Despite last playing in November when he claimed his 101st career title in Athens, Djokovic barely missed a beat as he let rip a fiery crosscourt winner en route to breaking early and wrapping up the second set.
While the spotlight has largely swung toward reigning Melbourne champion Jannik Sinner and world number one Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic reminded the duo of his threat with some sublime tennis to power through the third set and prevail at his favourite hunting ground.
“It’s definitely my favourite court, a court that has given me so much,” added Djokovic, who will hope to return when he takes on Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli.
“I always try to give back and I hope you enjoyed the tennis.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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