Novak Djokovic opened his quest for an 11th Australian Open title and record-breaking 25th Grand Slam with an impressive first-round display in Melbourne on Monday.
The fourth seed brushed aside Spain's Pedro Martinez with a destructive 6-3 6-2 6-2 performance on Rod Laver Arena as he recorded a milestone 100th win at the Grand Slam.
Djokovic lost just three points on his first serve in the entire match as he put on a service clinic.
"It's great to be back. This is definitely my favourite court, one that has given me so much," said the Serbian, who will play Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli in the second round.
"I try to give it back as much as I could over the last 20-plus years and hopefully you guys enjoyed the tennis tonight."
On his 100th win at the Australian Open, Djokovic said: "What can I say? I like the sound of it. To be a centurion is a pretty nice feeling.
"I always give my best whenever I'm on the court. History making is a great motivation - and particularly in the last five, 10 years of my career.
"I'm blessed to still be playing at this level and claiming another win tonight is obviously a dream come true."
Just by taking to the court, Djokovic equalled Roger Federer's all-time men's records with his 21st appearance in Melbourne and 81st at a Grand Slam overall, with the latter also being shared by Spain's Feliciano Lopez.
It is 20 years since Djokovic last lost in the opening round at a major and that run was never in danger here as he eased past 71st-ranked Martinez.
Djokovic, who was supported by former Spain and current Melbourne Victory midfielder Juan Mata, had not played a match since November 9, while he has had some trouble negotiating early rounds at slams in recent years, but this was a clean and commanding performance.
Daniil Medvedev overcame the Melbourne heat and serving issues to beat Jesper de Jong 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-2) in the first round.
The 11th seed, fresh off a title win in Brisbane, came out on top after a topsy-turvy opening set that featured five breaks of serve as both players struggled with their delivery on Margaret Court Arena.
"The conditions felt slow, so we were both breaking each other's serve a lot," said Medvedev, who has finished runner-up three times at Melbourne Park.
"It is warm, but I felt okay and I think then he was probably struggling a tiny bit more than me. Hopefully it doesn't get worse than what we felt here. For sure, a bit of an ice bath never feels bad after such a warm match."
Medvedev, who plays Frenchman Quentin Halys in the second round, added: "When I play good I am actually aggressive and when I play bad, I become a bit more defensive," Medvedev said.
"He was also far behind the baseline. Many times I managed to move him around and even finish at the net. Some moments I could have maybe been a bit more clinical.
"First round is never easy, so hopefully I can be more clinical in the next rounds."
Former Australian Open 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), while Marin Cilic also flew the flag for the veterans with a more ruthless performance.
The 40-year-old Wawrinka, who claimed his three Grand Slam titles 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 [fans] give me," said an emotional Wawrinka.
"It's my last year. The passion is still intact but I'm not young any more. Today was amazing, it's so special for me to enter the court and a Grand Slam. It's the reason I practise hard with my team every off-season and every day - to have a chance to compete with the best players in the world."
Former Australian Open finalist Cilic looked in prime form as he beat Germany's Daniel Altmaier 6-0 6-0 7-6 (7-3) earlier.
The towering 37-year-old won the opening 12 games with minimum fuss to spark chatter of a rare Grand Slam main draw 'triple bagel', which has been achieved by only five players in the professional era, the last being Sergi Bruguera in the 1993 French Open.
A 'triple bagel' is winning a match in three sets without dropping a game.
Felix Auger-Aliassime was left scratching his head after his 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 strongly 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 punching bag."
Britain's Jacob Fearnley exited in the first round as his difficult start to the season continued.
The Scot, who reached the third round on his debut last year, was beaten 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 3-6 7-6 (7-3) by Pole Kamil Majchrzak.
Fearnley was not helped by a heavy fall in the fifth game of the fourth set when he was a break up, after which Majchrzak immediately hit back.
"I slipped, ankle twisted and then hip, ankle, knee went into the floor - hip I think is just a bruise but the ankle's pretty sore right now," said Fearnley. "I'm hoping that it's nothing [serious]."
Having rocketed into the world's top 50 within a year of leaving college, Fearnley is likely to slip back to just inside the top 100.
"I just need to be a little bit more confident, back myself a little more, just play better," he added.
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