Sportswriters are running out of superlatives to describe Novak Djokovic.
The irrepressible Serb etched himself further into tennis folklore by winning his 100th main-draw singles match at the Australian Open on Monday, overcoming Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-2 6-2.
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He’s now the only player in the Open era to earn a century of main-draw singles wins at three separate Grand Slams, having also done so at Wimbledon (102) and Roland Garros (101).
“I like the sound of it: centurion,” the 38-year-old said on court after the first-round victory, as he continues his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th major singles title.
“History making is a great motivation.”
Winning 100 main-draw singles matches at a major is a feat only five other players in the Open era have achieved – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.
Except for Federer, none has done it twice. And with 95 match wins at the US Open, Djokovic could yet complete the set.
The absurdity of the Serb’s latest milestone is put into clearer perspective when looking at some of the greats not to reach 100 wins at a major.
Steffi Graf won six titles at Roland Garros, made three other finals and two semifinals there, yet “only” managed 84 main-draw singles wins in Paris.
The German also won Wimbledon seven times, and was a finalist twice, on her way to 74 wins there.
Jimmy Connors won five US Open titles, was a finalist twice and a semifinalist seven times and still couldn’t crack 100 wins, coming in at 98.
Big-serving American Pete Sampras won Wimbledon seven times, clocking 63 victories there.
In terms of the “Big Three”, Nadal earned 67 victories at Flushing Meadows, despite hoisting four titles. The Spaniard also collated 77 wins at Melbourne Park and 58 wins at Wimbledon.
Outside of his two centuries, Federer earned 89 wins at the US Open and 73 wins at Roland Garros.
Players to reach 100 Grand Slam main-draw singles wins in the Open Era:
| Player | Grand Slams |
| Novak Djokovic | Wimbledon (102), Roland Garros (101), AO (100) |
| Roger Federer | Wimbledon (105), AO (102) |
| Martina Navratilova | Wimbledon (120) |
| Rafael Nadal | Roland Garros (112) |
| Serena Williams | US Open (108) |
| Chris Evert | US Open (101) |
Former world No.1 Andy Roddick dissected Djokovic’s feat on his podcast overnight.
“Just for context, to show you how ridiculous this is, Kim Clijsters won Australia – she had 43 match wins in Australia,” the American noted.
“I won the US Open and made another final there, and I think I had 43 wins. Maria [Sharapova] won in Australia and I think she had 50-something wins down there. It’s a joke.”