Novak Djokovic added another record to his collection, this Wednesday (15), by beating the Portuguese Jaime Faria, by 3 sets to 1. The Serbian became the tennis player who played the most Grand Slam matches in history.
When he entered the court in the second round of the Australia Open, in Melbourne, he reached the mark of 430 matches. The record belonged to Swiss Roger Federer, now retired.
Djokovic and Federer were tied with 429 matches each, combining their appearances in all four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open).
The Serbian now has 379 wins and just 51 losses in these competitions, an 88.1% success rate. The Swiss accumulated 369 victories and lost 60 times, with an 86% success rate.
“The Grand Slams, of course, are the pillars of our sport. They mean everything to the history of the sport. They are definitely the most important tournaments. I’m just blessed to be breaking another record, I think, today”, commented Djokovic, this Wednesday.
Other records
The milestone is another in the extensive list of records that the Serb has accumulated over the last few years. Djokovic holds the most Grand Slam titles, with 24 in total, surpassing Spaniard Rafael Nadal (22) and Federer himself (20).
The Serbian spent the most time at the top of the rankings (428) and also holds the most Major finals (37), six more than the previous record, which belonged to the Swiss.
And the tendency is for Djokovic to expand his brands since his biggest rivals have already retired in recent years. At the Australian Open, he will be able to reach the 100-win mark if he reaches the semi-finals. At the moment, he has 96 triumphs. He is looking for his 11th title, and the 10th is already a record for the first Grand Slam of the season.
Australian Open victory
The Serbian’s new triumph came in the early hours of this Wednesday, over the Portuguese Jaime Faria, by 3 sets to 1, with partial scores of 6/1, 6/7 (4/7), 6/3 and 6/2. The match against the 21-year-old rival, who came from the qualifiers and is 125th in the rankings, was briefly interrupted by rain, which required the closure of the retractable roof on the complex’s central court.
Unlike his debut match, Djokovic made a good start, easily dominated the opening set, fluctuated in the second half and reacted well in the next two sets.
The Serbian finished the match with fewer winning balls than his opponent: 33 to 38. But he made fewer unforced errors: 33 to 52. The match lasted 3 hours.
In the third round, Djokovic will face Czech Tomas Machac, 24, currently 25th in the world. He advanced by defeating American Reilly Opelka 3/6, 7/6 (7/1), 6/7 (5/7), 7/6 (7/4) and 6/4.
It will be the third clash between the two tennis players, with Machac already beating the Serbian last year, in the semifinals of the Geneva Tournament, on clay. In 2023, the former world number 1 won in Dubai, on the hard court.
With agency
