Preview: Australian Open: Novak Djokovic vs. Pedro Martinez - prediction, form

Novak Djokovic aims to turn back the clock at the Australian Open when he faces Pedro Martinez in his opening match at Rod Laver Arena.

The record 10-time winner of this event has not played since capturing the Athens Open in November over Lorenzo Musetti, while Martinez won his last event at the Bengaluru Challenger Open, defeating Timofey Skatov in the final earlier this month.

Match preview

At 38, Djokovic has acknowledged that he is not the same player he used to be, but the Serbian remains one to watch out for in this tournament.

An injury forced him to retire in the semi-finals of the Aussie Open last year, though it has been 20 years since he previously lost his opening match at this event.

He may not be touting himself as the favourite, but the fourth seed on the men’s side should be brimming with confidence after his Athens Open triumph, losing just one set in that entire tournament.

Not since the Indian Wells Open in March have we seen him lose his opening singles match on the hard court, with Botic van de Zandschulp besting him on that occasion in three sets.

Even at his age, he still serves impressively, hitting 271 aces on the hard court last year, while winning 90% of his service games on that surface.

Djokovic also converted 45% of his break point opportunities on the hard court in 2025, but only won 25% of his return games.

© Imago / NurPhoto

Pedro Martinez comes into this event on a high, losing just one set at his most recent tournament in India earlier in the year.

The Spaniard can make the second round of this tournament for a second successive occasion after advancing past Italian Luciano Darderi in round one last year, after the latter was forced to retire.

An opening round victory would undoubtedly be the finest moment of his career on tour while also marking only his second triumph all-time versus a top 10 player, following a three-set win over Casper Ruud in 2024.

Martinez has lost six of his last seven opening matches on hard courts, with his victory in India earlier this year being his only successful run over that stretch.

Last year, he won 71% of his service games on the hard court while saving 61% of his break points.

At the same time, he won just 65% of his first serves on that surface last year and committed 66 double faults combined with a mere 27 aces.

We say: Djokovic to win in three sets

It may not be the same dominant Djokovic from a few years ago, but he still has enough weapons in his arsenal to ease his way past Martinez, who does not appear to be as consistent as his upcoming opponent.