Djokovic hails Rinky Hijikata after Paris Masters upset

Rinky Hijikata beat Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the Paris Masters in the Plenitude Arena on Thursday (AEDT), ending Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals. Djokovic said: "He was just playing out of his mind, honestly."

Hijikata continued his run from qualifying to produce the victory in Paris, firing a series of baseline winners that unsettled the Serbian. The 28-year-old Sydneysider is ranked world No 83 and became only the fourth Australian to defeat Djokovic, joining Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt.

Hijikata revealed he nearly withdrew before the match because of neck discomfort. "I just cooked my neck a bit yesterday and, to be honest, it wasn’t feeling great last night or this morning," Hijikata said. "But I guess a bit of adrenaline kicked in and I was going to do whatever I could, so I’m glad about my performance."

The win saw Hijikata become the lowest-ranked player this year to topple the seven-times Paris champion and was his fourth top-20 scalp of 2026, having never previously claimed one. The result also pushed him to within one victory of a fresh career-high ranking inside the world’s top 60.

Djokovic’s defeat halted a season that had included a run to the Australian Open final in January and his 102nd tour-level title in Beijing last month. The 39-year-old, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, was eliminated from contention for the season-ending championship, an event he has won seven times.

"Disappointment, obviously, losing a match that I felt like I was dominating for a set and a few games," Djokovic said. "Then he was switched on. I wasn't serving as well in the second set. He was just playing out of his mind, honestly. He was not missing, keeping the ball low. It was a terrific performance. "Nobody loves losing. It's just another match, but I should've won this match. I played well in the first set and then completely lost control."

Hijikata will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the next round; Etcheverry beat Alex de Minaur 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, a result that ended De Minaur’s hopes of making Turin for a third straight year and saw the Argentine move into the same section of the draw.