Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer’s record for the most major singles matches played as he reached the Australian Open third round.
The 37-year-old was made to work in his 430th Grand Slam singles match but he emerged triumphant, beating qualifier Jaime Faria 6-1 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-2.
The win gives Djokovic sole ownership of the all-time record for most Grand Slam singles matches played among men and women, and takes him past former rival Federer, who played his last major match at Wimbledon in 2021.
“I love this sport. I love competition,” Djokovic said when asked about the milestone.
“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.
The victory also meant the Serb became the first man over the age of 30 to reach 150 Grand Slam singles wins.
Djokovic can make further history still in Melbourne – win the title and he would claim a 25th major, moving him clear of Australia’s Margaret Court as the sole leader of all-time Grand Slam singles titles.
The seventh seed, who has three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in his coaching box, will face Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac in the third round.
Norwegian sixth seed Casper Ruud became the biggest casualty in the men’s draw, losing 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik.
World number 48 Mensik and Joao Fonseca, the 18-year-old Brazilian qualifier who stunned ninth seed Andrey Rublev on Tuesday, are the first teenagers to beat top-10 opponents at the same Grand Slam since Djokovic and Murray at Wimbledon in 2006.
Meanwhile, German second seed Alexander Zverev claimed an assured 6-1 6-4 6-1 victory over Spain’s Pedro Martinez to set up a third-round meeting with Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.
“Whether I win or lose, I will always leave my heart out on the court. I’m just blessed to be making another record.”
