Novak Djokovic has kick-started his hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 first-round dominant win over unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez in the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday.
Doubts had been raised over Djokovic's fitness and preparation for the major he has won a record 10 times after the 38-year-old chose to opt out of the Adelaide tune-up competition and cut short practice on Sunday, but it seemed like he had no problem securing his 100th Australian Open win.
"What can I say? I like the sound of it - centurion is pretty nice, it's a nice feeling to be a centurion. I always give my best when I'm on the court,” Djokovic said about his 100th victory.
"History-making is great motivation, particularly in the last five to 10 years of my career once I got myself into a position that I could eventually make history, I was even more inspired to play the best tennis and that's what I've done.”
The start of the match was tricky for the Serbian tennis legend, losing three games en route to securing the first set against first-time opponent Martinez; however, it turned into a routine workout when Novak Djokovic found his rhythm and control with a break and never loosened his grip under the bright lights of Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic, who was last in action in November when he clinched his 101st career title in Athens, barely missed a beat as he let rip a fiery crosscourt winner en route to breaking early and closing the second set.
While the pundits are in favour of reigning Melbourne champion Jannik Sinner and world number one Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic has shown the world that he still has it in him by playing some sublime tennis to power through the third set and prevail.
Reflecting on his victory, Novak Djokovic said that it is always difficult to kickstart the tournament; tonight’s performance was good, let’s see how I progress.
"It always feels good at the beginning of the tournament. Let's see how I progress. Tonight's performance was definitely great, I can't complain about anything - I served very well,” Djokovic said after the win.
"It's always a challenge to kickstart a tournament in the right way and on the right note and send a signal to yourself and all of the opponents watching you play.
"I have a couple of days without a match to recover my body. I'm using every hour to get my body recovered and in shape for the next challenge so let's hope for the best."