ATP Tour
Djokovic jokes about Alcaraz’s new serve: “We have to talk about copyright”
The Serbian advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Monday
January 19, 2026
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Novak Djokovic is a ten-time Australian Open champion.
By Sam Jacot
Carlos Alcaraz’s new serve has been the topic of conversation in the tennis world for days, and the Spaniard himself admitted in Melbourne that it could have a family influence.
What influence? Novak Djokovic’s.
On Monday night at the Australian Open, Djokovic was finally asked about the resemblance and didn’t miss the opportunity to have a little fun with it.
“As soon as I saw him, I sent him a message. I told him we had to talk about copyright,” Djokovic said with a smile. “Then when I saw him here, I told him we had to talk about the percentage of his winnings. I hope every ace is a tribute to me. Every ace he gets here. Let’s see if he keeps the agreement.”
Djokovic, who could only meet Alcaraz in the Melbourne final, was doing a lot of damage on his own serve in his Australian Open first-round victory on Monday.
The record 10-time champion won 93% of his first serve points and faced no break points on his way to victory against Pedro Martínez. Djokovic now has 100 victories in this hard court tournament and is two away from the all-time record of the tournament held by Roger Federer (102).
The 38-year-old Serbian was satisfied with his start.
“I felt good tonight. We’ll see how I feel in a few days,” Djokovic said of his physical and mental state. “Performance-wise, the feeling on the track was fantastic. I couldn’t ask for more. Obviously, I had great service. Overall, I felt really good on the track, something that has made me feel good on so many occasions throughout my career.”
The number 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Djokovic, will face the Italian Francesco Maestrelli in what will be their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the two.
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