MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic starts the Australian Open with a record: he has racked up his 100th victory at Melbourne Park and only needs five more at the US Open to reach 100 in the four Grand Slams.
These somewhat absurd numbers bring a smile to the Serbian’s face: ‘I like the sound of that,’ he confessed at Rod Laver Arena.
The current world number four, winner of 10 Australian Open titles, admitted that it is this thirst for milestones that keeps him at the top of his game. “Making history is a great motivation, particularly in the last five or ten years of my career. Once I put myself in a position to eventually make history, it obviously inspired me even more to play my best tennis,” he said after defeating Spain’s Pedro Martínez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
‘I was very lucky at the beginning of my career to find people who taught me and guided me to play for the long term, without overexerting myself, taking care of my body and mind, and trying to have the longest career possible. So I feel blessed to still be playing at this level,’ he added.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is such an overwhelming figure at the Australian Open that last year, tournament director Craig Tiley even raised the possibility of Djokovic becoming the first non-local tennis player to have a statue in the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame located in Melbourne Park.
It’s a proposal that the former world number one is still reluctant to talk about: ‘I would feel extremely flattered, honoured and proud, but I find it uncomfortable to talk about something that doesn’t exist yet,’ he told The Age.
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