Djokovic’s 2026 season ends after loss to Hijikata
Novak Djokovic will not play another match in 2026.
His season ended in the second round of the Paris Masters, where qualifier Rinky Hijikata defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets.
The loss officially eliminated Djokovic from contention for the ATP Finals, the year-end championship for the top eight players.
It also marked the first time in 21 years that Djokovic failed to reach a Masters 1000 quarterfinal in a season.
Djokovic competed at four Masters events in 2026: Indian Wells, the Italian Open, the Shanghai Masters and the Paris Masters.
He did not advance past the fourth round at any of them.
Here is every player who beat Novak Djokovic in 2026, in chronological order.
1. Carlos Alcaraz — Australian Open final, January 26
Djokovic began his season at the Australian Open, where he stunned two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
He then faced Carlos Alcaraz in the final, winning the first set and moving within two sets of his 25th Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz fought back to win in five sets, handing Djokovic his first loss of the year.
The 2023 US Open remains Djokovic's last Grand Slam title.
2. Jack Draper — Indian Wells fourth round, March 12
Djokovic did not play again until Indian Wells, where he reached the fourth round.
He lost in a three-set thriller to Jack Draper, who was dealing with his own struggles that season.
The match was one of only eight wins Draper recorded in 2026.
3. Dino Prizmic — Italian Open second round, May 11
Djokovic began his clay-court season at the Italian Open in Rome.
He suffered a shock defeat to Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic, then ranked outside the top 100.
Prizmic had never beaten a player of Djokovic's caliber before.
4. Joao Fonseca — Roland Garros third round, May 29
Djokovic's clay-court struggles continued at the French Open.
He was beaten in the third round by 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca.
It was Djokovic's earliest exit at Roland Garros in 17 years.
5. Jannik Sinner — Wimbledon semifinals, July 10
Djokovic rediscovered some form at Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals for the eighth consecutive edition.
There he met Jannik Sinner, who had won the previous two Wimbledon titles.
Sinner defeated Djokovic in four sets, ending his run at the All England Club.
6. Thiago Agustin Tirante — Cincinnati Open first round, August 13
Djokovic then moved to the North American hard-court swing.
He failed to win a single match at either the Cincinnati Open or the US Open.
In Cincinnati, Argentine qualifier Thiago Agustin Tirante beat Djokovic in straight sets.
Tirante was ranked No. 121 in the world at the time.
7. Alex Michelsen — US Open first round, August 26
Djokovic lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for the first time in 20 years.
American teenager Alex Michelsen, then 20 years old, defeated Djokovic in four sets at Flushing Meadows.
Michelsen had never beaten a top-10 player before.
8. Hubert Hurkacz — Shanghai Masters second round, October 7
Djokovic rebounded by winning the China Open in Beijing, beating Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur to claim his only title of 2026.
That victory put him in a strong position to qualify for the ATP Finals.
But at the Shanghai Masters, he lost in the second round to Hubert Hurkacz.
Djokovic had never lost to Hurkacz before this match.
9. Jan-Lennard Struff — Swiss Indoors Basel quarterfinals, October 24
Djokovic entered the Swiss Indoors in Basel needing a deep run to secure his ATP Finals spot.
He reached the quarterfinals, where he faced Jan-Lennard Struff.
Struff won in three sets, becoming the ninth player to beat Djokovic in 2026.
Djokovic had never lost to Struff in their previous meetings.
10. Rinky Hijikata — Paris Masters second round, November 2
Djokovic's final match of the season came at the Paris Masters, an indoor hard-court event at the Accor Arena.
He faced qualifier Rinky Hijikata, ranked No. 104 in the world.
Hijikata won 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, advancing to the third round of a Masters event for the first time in his career.
It was the first time Hijikata had ever beaten Djokovic.
The loss ended Djokovic's hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals.
After the match, Djokovic told reporters, "I should have won this match."
He also said he lost control of the match and blamed himself for the defeat.
Hijikata later rallied past Tomas Martin Etcheverry to reach the Paris Masters quarterfinals, the biggest quarterfinal of his career.
Djokovic finished the 2026 season with 10 losses, the most he has suffered in a single season since 2007.
He defeated 10 different players in those 10 losses.
Eight of those 10 players were ranked outside the top 20 at the time of their win.
Three of them — Prizmic, Tirante and Hijikata — were qualifiers.
Djokovic's highest ranking in 2026 was world No. 3.
After this difficult season, the 39-year-old has dropped outside the top 10.
Djokovic has stated his intent to continue competing in 2027.
He is still chasing an elusive 25th Grand Slam title, which would break his tie with Margaret Court for the all-time record.
The ATP Finals will proceed without Djokovic for the first time since 2017.
His absence leaves the eight-man field open for players like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
For Rinky Hijikata, the win over Djokovic is the defining moment of his career so far.
The 23-year-old Australian entered the Paris Masters as a qualifier and will leave with a career-high ranking.
His quarterfinal match against Luca Van Assche is set for November 6, 2026.
Whether Djokovic can return to form in 2027 remains an open question.
His 2026 season is over.
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