Jan 25, 2026
3 min read
Novak Djokovic beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open.6-4He became the first player to win 400 Grand Slam singles matches with a 7-6 (4) win.
400 in Grand Slams and 102 in Australia: Novak Djokovic continues to set tennis records.
The 24-time major winner became the first player to reach 400 Grand Slam titles when he defeated Botic van de Zandchulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Saturday night in the third round of the Australian Open.
It improved his win-loss record to 102-10 at the Australian Open, equaling Roger Federer's career haul for the most match wins at the season's first major.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open 10 times, more than anyone else.At 38, he is on target for his 25th career major in Australia, which would make him the most decorated tennis player of all time.
Against Van de Zandschulp he was in control from the start and was unimpressed except for a few moments in the third set;He tripped and fell on the court in the third game and faced two set points in the 12th set.
A medical time-out in the substitutions after the third game, when the coach stuck the ball on his right foot, and a forehand winner down the line eliminated those first two problems.
When Djokovic faced a second set point, referee John Blom had to urge the crowd over and over again to stop the commotion between first and second serves.
A lively Djokovic saved the next, guiding the ball like a soccer player as the Dutchman's shot missed the baseline.
The crowd chanted "Nole, Nole, Nole" in support before he hit a winning serve to force the tiebreak, which he won.
Djokovic was happy to play at night on a day where the heat politics of the tournament called for, and two-time champion Jannik Sinner struggled before heading into the afternoon conditions.
"I managed to have a 'good' fall, if you can say that. I was able to protect myself," Djokovic said of the fall."Things could get pretty ugly."
He said his body feels good for this stage of the competition, but after reaching the semi-finals of four majors last year, he is not pushing himself further.
"I must say, it's been a great start of the tournament," he said. "Last year I learned a lesson. I got too excited too early in some of the Grand Slams ... getting injured three out of four."
Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz shared four majors between them, and while Djokovic admits "they're playing at a different level now", he added: "I'm still trying to give these young guys a run for their money."
Djokovic opened the Australian Open and his 81st Grand Slam with a first-round win over Pedro Martinez, breaking two tennis records and adding another to his 100th win at Melbourne Park.
He became the first man to win 100 or more matches on all three Grand Slam surfaces, 102 on grass at Wimbledon and 101 on clay at Roland Garros.
Djokovic has apologized for almost hitting a girl with the ball in a move that could have damaged his Australian Open hopes.
An incident in the second set could prove costly when Djokovic carelessly fired a ball over a girl's head into the net.
He was famously disqualified from the 2020 US Open for hitting a linesman with a ball in anger, and risked the same outcome in several other cases.
Djokovic held up his hands and said: "I'm sorry. It was unnecessary and in the heat of the moment. I was lucky there and I'm sorry I caused distress to the ball boy or anybody."
This report used information from The Associated Press and PA.
