Sports
Djokovic wins 100th match as record crowds flock
Novak Djokovic won his 100th match at the Australian Open as a record total of 101,696 fans flocked to Melbourne Park on Monday.
Djokovic already has a record 10 titles in Australia among his 24 major championships, and brought up his hundredth victory with a 6-3 6-2 6-2 first-round win over Pedro Martinez.
The 38-year-old is the first man to win 100 or more matches at three Grand Slam tournaments.
“I like the sound of it,” he said. “Centurion is pretty nice.
“Tonight’s performance was great, I can’t complain about anything. I served very well,” said Djokovic.
Despite last playing in November when he claimed his 101st career title in Athens, Djokovic barely missed a beat in a dominant win.
In the women’s draw Iga Swiatek laboured to a 7-6 (5) 6-3 win over world number 130 Yuan Yue in the first round.
Swiatek won Wimbledon last year to go with her four French Open titles and her victory at the 2022 U.S. Open, leaving the Australian Open as the only major missing from her collection. She has twice reached the semi-finals.
Yuan was swinging freely and rifling winners as she took a 5-3 lead, and Swiatek had to switch things up.
“I was a bit rusty at the beginning,” she said. “Many ups and downs, but overall I have some stuff to work on. I’ll just focus on that.
“I started a bit tight. I needed to get my legs moving. Go after my shots. Be brave with the decisions.”
Coco Gauff also had some struggles before beating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2 6-3 in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena.
