Novak Djokovic made history by surpassing tennis legend Roger Federer to record most Grand Slam matches on Wednesday, January 15. The 2024 Olympic gold medalist played his 430th Grand Slam match against Jaime Faria in the ongoing Australian Open and defeated him 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2 to progress to the third round of the competition. In 430 Grand Slam matches in men's singles so far, the Serbian has won 379 games and lost 51.
“I love this sport. I love competition. I try to give my best every single time. It's been over 20 years that I've been competing in Grand Slams at the highest level. Whether I win or lose, I will always leave my heart out on the court. I'm just blessed to be making another record,” Djokovic said after breaking the record in the post-match presentation.The tennis star also became the second player after legendary Serena Williams to register 150 major wins after turning 30. He can break further records by winning the Australian Open in Melbourne and become the first Tennis singles player to win 25 Grand Slams in history. Currently, he shares the record with Australia's Margaret Court with 24 majors each.
“This sport has always been giving me so much in my life, an opportunity to play at the grand slams. I try not to take it for granted after great achievements that I'm very proud of. Of course, these matches and wins are what counts the most in our sport. I'm very thrilled with that,” Djokovic added further.
The Serbian will play Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac in the third round on Friday. He defeated Nishesh Basavareddy of the USA in the first round and lost a set to Faria in the second but came back stronger to win the game rather comfortably.