Djokovic before his 100th trophy: "I hope this is the year"

Djokovic won in straight sets and continued with perfect results against the French.

"We are two veterans, we have been playing for so long, I have known him since I was 15 years old, we played both as juniors and as professionals. I have a good record against him, but we had great matches. He has incredible flexibility, agility and speed, one of the greatest athletes ever in tennis. It's nice to watch him, he attracts audiences all over the world in the stadium, he's charismatic - I hope we'll play more before we retire," said Novak after the victory.

Novak could win the 100th title in his career in this Australian city, he hopes.

"I've never won Brisbane," he joked when asked what motivates him to keep playing.

"It's true! I hope this is the year. I've played here a few times, way back in 2009, I've also played in the ATP Cup... Every time I play here, the fans are passionate, thank you, you're amazing," he said addressing his fans.

He says that he is already getting advice from his children, Stefan and Tara, who are already grown up.

"They both told me to have two different celebrations - my daughter said to keep playing the violin, my son the saxophone, so I tried both to fit in. It's the first time my family is here in Australia, it's a long way. My heart is full, we spend a good time on the court and that allows me to play the best I can".

The next rival is Reilly Opelka.

"We have some terrible servers in the tournament, tall guys, he and Mpetshi Perricard would probably be great basketball players, too. Opelka was injured for a long time. He's a great guy off the court, we get along well, it will be our first match against each other. I'll have to step away a few steps behind the line to return that serve, I'll prepare as best I can."