Novak Djokovic began his hunt for a record 25th grand slam title with a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez in the Australian Open first round, with the Serb easing pre-tournament concerns about his fitness with a sparkling display.
Doubts had been raised about Djokovic's preparedness for the major he has won a record 10 times after the 38-year-old skipped the Adelaide tune-up event and cut short practice on Sunday, but he had no trouble sealing his 100th match win at Melbourne Park.
A potentially tricky start against first-time opponent Martinez turned into a routine workout when Djokovic seized control with a break and never loosened his grip under the bright lights of Rod Laver Arena to take the opening set.
Despite last playing in November when he claimed his 101st career title in Athens, Djokovic barely missed a beat as he let rip a fiery crosscourt winner en route to breaking early and wrapping up the second set.
While the spotlight has largely swung toward reigning Melbourne champion Jannik Sinner and world number one Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic reminded the duo of his threat with some sublime tennis to power through the third set and prevail.
The 38-year-old said: "It's a nice feeling to be a centurion. I always give my best. History making is a real motivation, particularly in the last five, 10 years.
"I’m blessed to be still playing at this level. Making another win tonight here is obviously a dream come true."
Felix Auger-Aliassime was left scratching his head after his tournament hopes were ended by cramp in the first round.
The Canadian is the first top-10 seed to fall at Melbourne Park, and he did not even make it to the end of his clash with Portugal's Nuno Borges, calling it quits while trailing 3-6 6-4 6-4.
Auger-Aliassime was fancied for a good run at Melbourne Park having reached the semi-finals of the US Open amid an excellent second half of last season.
"I don’t have all the answers now," said the seventh seed. "I’m trying to be very professional at everything I do.
"Obviously, it hurts even more because, if I was self-aware and I was, like, 'Well, I wasn’t really ready,’ or I wasn’t doing everything, then you have to be honest with yourself.
"But, even with being honest with myself, I’m not totally finding the reasons why this is happening. I can’t recall ever in my life this (happening this) early in a tournament, this early in a match."
Auger-Aliassime was clearly struggling with his left thigh and, after calling the trainer, he played just two points of the fourth set before shaking hands.
"I want to be on the court winning," he said of his decision. "I want to be on the court competing with my opponent. I don’t want to be just standing there like a punch bag."
Home hope Alex de Minaur was handed a boost ahead of his first-round match when intended opponent Matteo Berrettini pulled out through injury, and the Australian eased to a 6-2 6-2 6-3 win over lucky loser Mackenzie McDonald.
Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev was also a straight-sets winner, defeating Jesper de Jong 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-2).
Former champion Stan Wawrinka turned the clock back to come from a set down and beat unseeded Serb Laslo Djere 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
The 40-year-old Wawrinka, who claimed his three majors during the golden era of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, is making his final Melbourne Park appearance as a wildcard after announcing that 2026 would be his last season on tour.
"It's been a long journey, it's been amazing with so many memories here. It's been incredible. The only reason I come back is because of the love you give me," an emotional Wawrinka told fans.
"It's my last year. The passion is still intact but I'm not young any more"
Former finalist Marin Cilic looked in fine form as he beat Germany's Daniel Altmaier 6-0 6-0 7-6 (7-3).
The towering 37-year-old won the opening 12 games with minimum fuss to spark chatter of a rare triple bagel, which has been achieved by only five players in the professional era, the last being Sergi Bruguera in the 1993 French Open.
Cilic, the 2018 runner-up at Melbourne Park, saved a break point at the start of the third set to remain on track but Altmaier suddenly clicked into gear.
The German made it 1-1, and in doing so snapped a 25-game losing streak stretching back to his 6-3 6-0 defeat by Jaume Munar in the Adelaide International last week.
It was a more evenly-contested match from there and Croatian Cilic had to rally from behind in the tiebreak to close out the win.
