It’s 2026, yet The Big Three are still featuring prominently at the Australian Open.
Roger Federer headlined the Australian Open’s first-ever opening ceremony on tournament eve. Rafael Nadal is set to return to Melbourne for a ‘Night of Legends’ on February 1, which happens to be the date of the men’s final.
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Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, is still out there playing on the tour – and would love nothing better than to see Nadal on the final Sunday.
If that happens, maybe they will reminisce about the 2012 finale, when Djokovic unforgettably outslugged his longtime rival in five hours, 53 minutes.
But first things first.
The 10-time AO champion ensured a fine start to AO 2026 on Monday night, thanks to a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win against Nadal’s compatriot Pedro Martinez that made it 100 Australian Open wins.
“What can I say? I like the sound of it,” Djokovic said on court afterwards. “Centurion is a pretty nice feeling.”
Djokovic had his eyes glued to the big screen as a video montage of his time at the Australian Open was played post-match.
It included highlights of his first Slam success against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008, and the marathon triumph over Nadal.
At roughly two hours, Monday against Martinez was far less taxing than that night 14 years ago for the 24-time Grand Slam winner.
The comfortable outing for Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena marked a contrast to his last two first-round matches at the Australian Open, when the Serb needed four sets to prevail against Next Gen duo Nishesh Basavareddy and Dino Prizmic.
At 38 and given all his success over the years, Djokovic achieved another milestone, even besides the century at Melbourne Park.
He tied Federer for the most Australian Open men’s singles appearances (21) and drew level with Federer and Feliciano Lopez for the most Grand Slam singles appearances (81).
“History making is a great motivation, particularly in the last five, 10 years of my career,” said Djokovic.
“Once I got myself into the position that I could eventually create 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 some people that taught me and guided me to play the long shot with my career, not to burn out too quickly, to take care of my mind and body and try to have as long of a career as possible. I’m blessed to be still playing at this level.”
The last time Djokovic authored a straight-sets win in round one in Melbourne came against Roberto Carballes Baena, another Spaniard, in 2023.
Martinez and Carballes Baena compete hard and can linger on court. Martinez proved to be a Davis Cup hero last season playing under his idol, David Ferrer, in both singles and doubles, but the world No.71 found no way through Djokovic.
He wasn’t the first one, especially at Rod Laver Arena.
If Djokovic’s fans were slightly apprehensive heading into the encounter – he pulled out of last week’s Adelaide International – jumping out to a 2-0 lead must have eased concerns.
Djokovic began the match by sealing a 17-shot rally with a curled forehand winner down the line.
Later, seeking to end another lengthy exchange, a fizzed backhand slice approach took Martinez out of the mix.
Djokovic saved the best for near the end of the first set, crushing a 149km/h forehand cross court winner, eliciting a fist pump.
While Djokovic breezed through his service games, Martinez averaged nine points per service game, largely explaining why the set extended to 45 minutes.
Martinez, who won a Challenger title in India earlier in January, sprinkles in serves and volleys. He did so with success to start the second set and later, to hold for 2-3.
Indeed, even though Djokovic dictated proceedings, entertainment didn’t lack.
Djokovic showed his famed elasticity by scrambling to a Martinez drop shot, though his foe ended the point with a backhand volley.
Djokovic was the first to applaud.
Speaking of applause, nothing was louder than after Djokovic unleashed a leaping forehand Nick Kyrgios-esque forehand winner in the second game of the third.
Martinez – who competed hard against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon last year despite a shoulder injury – smiled as he replicated the feat in the next game.
Yet Djokovic broke again for 3-2, and Martinez never did earn a break point.
In other telling numbers, Djokovic tallied 49 winners and won 64 per cent of Martinez’s second serves.
The draw gods produced a possible Djokovic-Terence Atmane clash in the second round.
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Atmane, the flashy French lefty, tested Sinner in Cincinnati last August and then did the same on the Asian swing, but Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli will meet Djokovic instead after beating Atmane in five sets on Monday.
Maestrelli is playing in his first major, a contrast to the ageless Djokovic.