Novak Djokovic dispatched Spain’s Pedro Martínez 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the 2026 Australian Open on Monday, January 19. However, during the match, one of the commentators said something about the Serb that infuriated fans online.
During the second set, a commentator was heard saying:
“I think that’s Pedro’s biggest chance if Novak just tears an adductor on one of those slides. It might be just what he needs.”
While some fans thought that the commentator was praising Djokovic, implying that only an injury can disrupt his rhythm, the majority took offense. Here are some of the reactions from X/Twitter:
“You can root against him but you don’t wish bodily harm on anybody ffs 🤦🏻♂️,” a fan wrote.
“Absolutely disgusting. It wasn’t Petch or Brad but the 3rd guy,” another one chimed in.
“He’s being sarcastic but it still sounds bad. You don’t hear these types of comments with any other players,” a user said.
“Wtf is wrong with these people?” someone commented.
“Manifesting what the commentator wants to happen. It’s basically an indirect way of wishing Novak injury,” a user wrote.
“They don’t hide their hate anymore at this point it’s sickening and a pure disappointment to the sport,” another one said.
A few fans speculated that Wally Masur was behind the mic .
“Wally Masur same clown that interviewed him on court after the match. Shocking,” someone wrote.
Meanwhile, the two-hour-long match saw Djokovic dish out 14 aces and 49 winners, along with converting five break points. The Serb joined Roger Federer and Feliciano López for the most Grand Slam tournament appearances (81).
“History-Making is a Great Motivation” – Novak Djokovic on 100th Australian Open Win
By winning his first-round match, Novak Djokovic registered his 100th win at the Australian Open and is only behind Roger Federer (102 wins) on the list. When asked about the achievement after the match, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said (via Sky Sports):
“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.”
“It’s great to be back. This is definitely my favourite court, one that has given me so much. 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,” he added.
In the second round, Djokovic will face Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli on Wednesday, January 21.
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