MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic added another record to his long list, breaking the tie with Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam matches played in tennis history by reaching 430 on Wednesday at Australian Open in what was a tougher than expected second round victory.
Djokovic improved to 379-51 for his career at majors, a winning percentage of 0.881, by defeating 21-year-old Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in a game briefly interrupted by light rain before Rod Laver Arena’s retractable roof closed.
“The Grand Slams, of course, are the pillars of our sport. They mean everything to sports history. …Definitely the most important tournaments,” Djokovic said. “I just get the chance to make another record, I guess, today.”
Oh, yes, Djokovic already holds plenty of ratings, many of which belonged to Federer – who went 369-60 in his 429 Grand Slam matches, a winning percentage of .860 – and there are others on the horizon.
As things stand, Djokovic has won the most Grand Slam singles titles of any man, 24 years old, ahead of Rafael Nadal’s 22 and Federer’s 20 (these other two members of the Big Three are now retired). The 37-year-old Serbian has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the rankings than any other player. He has played in 37 Grand Slam finals, six more than Federer’s previous record. And so on.
Also think about what could await Djokovic.
A title at the end of the 15 days at Melbourne Park would be her 25th in a major tournament, a figure never achieved by any man or woman. It would also be her 11th at the Australian Open, tying Margaret Court. That would make him the oldest man in the Open era – which began in 1968 – to win a Grand Slam singles trophy (Ken Rosewall was about six months younger when he won the Open in Australia in 1972). And it would be Djokovic’s 100th tournament title at tour level, a nice number behind only Jimmy Connors’ 109 and Federer’s 103 in the Open era for men.
Not everything went perfectly this week in Australia for Djokovic during his first tournament with old on-field rival Andy Murray as coach.
Djokovic’s two matches so far have come against a young player making his Grand Slam debut. And each time, he was pushed to four sets.
In the first round, it was against Nishesh Basavareddy, a 19-year-old American who turned professional only last month and was ranked 107th. In the second, it was Faria, who was ranked 125th, which gave him a bit of trouble, especially during a series of four games in the second set.
“He was playing tennis in broad daylight. … I had to weather the storm,” Djokovic said. “I think I reacted very well in the third and especially the fourth (sets).”
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