Last year, Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam at the Australian Open ended in heartbreak, a semifinal retirement against Alexander Zverev after a muscle tear. Since then, he has reached three more Slam semifinals, underlining his undimmed hunger. But as Djokovic returned to Melbourne against Spain’s Pedro Martinez, his form sparked bizarre on-air commentary that quickly stole headlines.

Novak Djokovic started his first-round match strongly. He took control early and won the opening set 6-3. In the second set, Djokovic led 3-1 while Pedro Martinez was serving at 30-15. 

During that moment, a commentator on beIN Sports made a bizarre remark. “I think that’s Pedro’s biggest chance if Novak just tears an adductor on one of those slides. It might be just what he needs.”

The comment immediately raised eyebrows. It came as Djokovic was moving freely and dictating play. The timing and tone shocked viewers, especially given Djokovic’s recent injury history. The match, however, continued without incident.

Djokovic responded with authority. He closed out the contest in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The victory marked his 100th main-draw win at the Australian Open. It also made him the first male player to record at least 100 wins on three different Grand Slam surfaces.

This was not the first time Novak Djokovic faced harsh commentary at the Australian Open. Last year, controversy followed his win over Jiri Lehecka. Djokovic refused to take part in the usual on-court interview with Channel 9’s Jim Courier, surprising fans and viewers alike.

It later emerged that his issue was not with Courier. Instead, Djokovic took aim at Tony Jones, an announcer on Australia’s Channel 9. During a broadcast, Jones addressed Serbian fans and chanted, “Novak, he’s overrated, Novak’s a has-been, Novak, kick him out” before adding, “Boy, I’m glad they can’t hear me.”

Djokovic reacted firmly to those remarks. He announced he would no longer give interviews with Channel 9. He explained his stance by noting that neither Jones nor the network had issued a public apology. The situation quickly became a major talking point during the tournament.

Later, Jones issued a public apology while speaking on Today, a popular Australian morning show. He addressed the controversy directly and attempted to explain his actions and intentions during the segment.

“If I can just give you a bit of a timeline here, the comments were made on the news on Friday night, which I considered to be banter,” Jones said. “I considered it to be humor, which is consistent with most things I do…Having said that, I was made aware on Saturday morning, from Tennis Australia via the Djokovic camp, that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments.”

On a lighter note, Djokovic has since shifted focus back to tennis. He eased through the second round with a convincing win. That came despite worrying scenes days earlier, when he left a practice session after just 12 minutes. 

And after advancing, Djokovic also shared his thoughts, signaling calm and control as his campaign continues.

Novak Djokovic shares his thoughts after winning his first match of 2026

World No.4 opened his 2026 season in dominant fashion. He is chasing a standalone 25th Grand Slam singles title. Against Pedro Martinez, he delivered a serving masterclass that lasted two hours. He dropped just five points on serve out of 57.

The 38-year-old was ruthless behind his delivery. Djokovic produced eight holds to love. He lost only one service point in each of the second and third sets. He won 93% of points on his first serve while landing 77% of them in.

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Former doubles great Mark Woodforde praised the performance. He described Djokovic’s serving as “supreme” and “exceptional.” Djokovic, however, played it down. “Tonight’s performance was great, I can’t complain about anything. I served very well,” said Djokovic.

He stressed the importance of a strong start. “It’s always a challenge to kick-start the tournament on the right note and send the right signal not only to yourself but your opponents watching you play,” he said. Djokovic also highlighted recovery. “I have a couple of days without a match to recover my body. I’m using every hour to get in shape for the next challenge.”

This marked Djokovic’s first official match of 2026. He had withdrawn from the Adelaide International earlier, saying he was “not quite physically ready to compete.” 

However, on the eve of the AO, he said: “I know that when I’m healthy, when I’m able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on a given day, I feel like I can beat anybody.”

Djokovic now moves into the second round. He will face Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli. The Serb enters as a clear favourite. 

The question now is whether he can maintain this level, overcome the Italian, and continue his push toward the third round.