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World no. 1 and the defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic experienced another memorable day at the office at his beloved Rod Laver Arena. Novak defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round, moving into the last 16 at Melbourne Park for the 16th time and remaining on the title course.
Djokovic notched a milestone triumph on Friday night, delivering his 78th victory at Rod Laver Arena and leaving Serena Williams on 77! The Serb trails only Roger Federer, who collected 93 triumphs at one of the world’s most prominent arenas.
Novak’s first Rod Laver Arena victory came on January 15, 2008, beating Benjamin Becker in the first round. Sixteen years later, the 36-year-old is still the title contender, challenging the younger rivals and looking eager to defend his Australian Open throne for another year.
Novak arrived in Melbourne with a minor virus and could not perform at his best in the opening two rounds.
However, the Serb defeated two rivals in four sets, giving himself enough time to recover and raise his level in the third match.
Novak’s first rival was an 18-year-old Dino Prizmic and beat the young gun 6-2, 6-7, 6-3,…
