Novak Djokovic dominated Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in a one-sided contest at the Australian Open on Thursday. The Serbian superstar cruised into the third round of the Grand Slam tournament with a straight-sets victory, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
The fourth-seeded Djokovic was untroubled throughout his match against the 141st-ranked world player. He broke Maestrelli early in both sets two and three, putting pressure on his younger opponent to capitalise on several chances. Maestrelli's only moments of joy came after breaking Djokovic twice in the third set, but the Serbian legend regrouped to seal the win.
Djokovic expressed respect for his young opponent, despite knowing little about him until recently. The 38-year-old acknowledged that Maestrelli had a big serve and a solid game, but lacked experience to compete with the best. Djokovic also praised Maestrelli's potential, wishing him success in his pursuit of world rankings.
With this win, Djokovic extended his record to 399th Grand Slam match victory, one shy of Roger Federer's all-time record. He now sets his sights on a Melbourne Park title for the eleventh time, aiming to break Margaret Court's deadlock as the player with most Grand Slam trophies.
The fourth-seeded Djokovic was untroubled throughout his match against the 141st-ranked world player. He broke Maestrelli early in both sets two and three, putting pressure on his younger opponent to capitalise on several chances. Maestrelli's only moments of joy came after breaking Djokovic twice in the third set, but the Serbian legend regrouped to seal the win.
Djokovic expressed respect for his young opponent, despite knowing little about him until recently. The 38-year-old acknowledged that Maestrelli had a big serve and a solid game, but lacked experience to compete with the best. Djokovic also praised Maestrelli's potential, wishing him success in his pursuit of world rankings.
With this win, Djokovic extended his record to 399th Grand Slam match victory, one shy of Roger Federer's all-time record. He now sets his sights on a Melbourne Park title for the eleventh time, aiming to break Margaret Court's deadlock as the player with most Grand Slam trophies.
! I mean, Maestrelli was a good try, but let's be real, Djokovic is on a whole different level right now 
. The guy's still playing like a pro at 38 and it's crazy to think he'll break Federer's record soon 
! But honestly, I do feel bad for Maestrelli, he was just so outmatched 
. Djokovic did seem pretty nice about it though, wishing him success and all that 
. Maybe this win will be a springboard for Maestrelli to get more experience and come back stronger in the future 
.
he's like 38 but he's dominating these young guns like nothing 
anyway, Djokovic seems really classy about losing to younger opponents, always wishing them well 
that's what makes him a true legend in my eyes 
he's like a machine out there on the court 
and that maestrelli kid had no chance 
i love how djokovic gave credit where credit was due tho, even though he knew nothing about his opponent till recently 
it shows he's still got class and humility at 38 years young! 
anyway, can't wait to see what the rest of the tournament has in store for us 
i mean, maestrelli was definitely no match for him 
but seriously, djokovic is still one of the greatest tennis players of all time 
i'm rooting for him to win that melbourne park title again 
399th grand slam win and he's only one shy of federer's record? that's insane. i think maestrelli showed some decent stuff, but yeah Djokovic was just too polished for him 
399 wins and counting... he's gonna break that record for sure! 
But let's not forget about Djokovic's ultimate goal – 11 Aussie Open titles. The pressure's on, Novak! 
? And can you believe Djoko's getting close to Federer's record? That's just crazy talk!
399th GS win is crazy 
he's getting closer to Fed's record tho 
but experience is key 
i'm so hyped for him to take on the rest of the competition and hopefully win that 11th aussie open title 
djokovic seemed really calm and collected during that match 
he really knows how to get back on track after losing a set or two 
I'm low-key rooting for him to break that record now 
. The fact that Maestrelli couldn't cope with all that pressure is actually pretty good for our mental health - it shows us what we need to work on when we're feeling overwhelmed