Ben Shelton studies Djokovic to sharpen return on fast courts

Alexander Zverev fell in his first match as world number one.

Novak Djokovic saw his ATP Finals hopes end in a stunning defeat.

Both exits happened on the same day at the Paris Masters.

Lorenzo Musetti toppled Zverev 7-6(5) 6-2 in the second round on Wednesday.

Zverev had climbed to No. 1 on Monday.

The 29-year-old German captured his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open this season.

He added a second major crown at the US Open.

But his first match at the top of the rankings ended in a surprise defeat.

Musetti, a former world No. 5, seized control of the opening-set tiebreak.

He won six of the final seven points in the tiebreak.

Then he took command of the second set.

The 24-year-old Italian broke Zverev for a 2-1 lead.

He struck again to move 5-2 ahead on his way to victory.

World No. 24 Musetti fired 29 winners and eight aces during the contest.

The win improved his head-to-head record against Zverev to 4-2.

Musetti has been hampered by injuries throughout the 2026 season.

His toughest setback came at the Australian Open, where he retired while leading Djokovic by two sets in their quarterfinal.

Musetti ended a four-year wait for a title in Lyon last month.

Zverev was asked whether his first match as world No. 1 brought additional pressure.

“I don’t know if it’s stress,” he told reporters.

“I was a bit annoyed, to be honest, the last couple of days, because achieving the world number one status is something that I think every player dreams of.”

“But then I feel like I’m the only world number one in tennis history that has to explain why it’s okay for me to be world number one, which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am, even though I lost today.”

“I don’t think anybody had to explain themselves as much as I had to do in the last couple of days, which, for me, is annoying, to be honest.”

Zverev did not specify who or what had prompted his frustration.

His new status also renewed scrutiny of domestic abuse allegations made against him by two former partners.

A German court closed a case involving his former partner Brenda Patea after a 2024 settlement without a finding of guilt.

The ATP ended a separate investigation into allegations by Olga Sharypova in 2023, citing insufficient evidence.

Zverev has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Hours after Zverev's loss, Djokovic's season took a devastating turn.

Rinky Hijikata, a qualifier ranked No. 83, defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

The Australian lit up the indoor Plenitude Arena to surge into the Paris Masters third round.

Victory was the 28-year-old's fourth top-20 scalp of 2026, having never previously claimed one.

Hijikata joined Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt as only the fourth Australian to conquer Djokovic.

He almost didn't take the court.

“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.”

Djokovic reached the Australian Open final in January.

He won his 102nd tour-level title in Beijing last month.

But the 39-year-old could not extend his 2026 season further in France.