Novak Djokovic Makes History Again: The New King of Grand Slam Matches!

Australia (Commonwealth) _Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round of the Australian Open, surpassing Roger Federer’s record for the most major singles matches played.

The 37-year-old defeated qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2 despite having to work hard in his 430th Grand Slam singles match.

With the victory, Djokovic surpasses erstwhile competitor Roger Federer, who played his final major match at Wimbledon in 2021, and becomes the sole owner of the record for the most Grand Slam singles matches played between men and women.

“I adore this sport. When questioned about the accomplishment, Djokovic remarked, “I love competition.” “I always strive to give it my all. I’ve been competing at the top level in Grand Slams for more than 20 years.

“I will always give it my all on the court, regardless of the outcome. I feel incredibly fortunate to be setting yet another record.The Serb’s triumph also made him the first guy over 30 to win 150 Grand Slam singles titles.

Still in Melbourne, Djokovic has the opportunity to create further history by winning the title and earning his 25th major, which would put him ahead of Margaret Court of Australia as the only person to have the most Grand Slam singles titles ever.

In the third round, the seventh seed, under the guidance of three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, will face Tomas Machac, the 26th seed from Czechia.

Casper Ruud, the sixth seed from Norway, lost to Czech Jakub Mensik, 19, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, becoming the largest casualty in the men’s tournament.

The only adolescents to defeat top-10 competitors at the same Grand Slam since Djokovic and Murray at Wimbledon in 2006 are world number 48 Mensik and Joao Fonseca, an 18-year-old Brazilian qualifier who shocked ninth seed Andrey Rublev on Tuesday.

Alexander Zverev, the second seed from Germany, defeated Pedro Martinez of Spain 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 to guarantee a third-round matchup with Jacob Fearnley of Britain.

By defeating qualifier Jaime Faria, the 37-year-old Olympic tennis champion surpassed Roger Federer’s record for the most major singles matches played. 6-1, 6-7, Wednesday, January 15, 4–7, 6-3, 6-2.

By winning his 430th Grand Slam singles match, Djokovic surpassed Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423), taking exclusive possession of the Open Era record for the most singles matches. There are no other tennis players that have achieved the 400-match mark.



Djokovic isn’t planning on stopping there, even though he has surpassed Federer and is now the first man over 30 to collect 150 Grand Slam titles.

In Melbourne, Djokovic would surpass Australian Margaret Court as the first person to win 25 Grand Slam singles titles if he advances to the final and wins the men’s title.

While Novak Djokovic won the gold medal in the men’s singles competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Andy Murray announced his retirement from professional tennis five months ago. Although the two avoided each other in France, their paths would eventually intersect.

As the Serb attempts to win a historic 100th singles career trophy and a record 25th Grand Slam title, Djokovic revealed in November that his longtime buddy and competitor would coach his squad at the Australian Open.

Djokovic has won every final he has advanced to and set a record ten times in Melbourne. He defeated the man in four of those finals, so who better to ask for advice?

After a challenging women’s season and a thrilling 2024 season that saw Sinner ascend to the top of the men’s game, the Melbourne event will set the stage for another exciting year of tennis.