Novak Djokovic Hails Rinky Hijikata After Shock Paris Masters Defeat Ends Season

‘Playing out of his mind’: Novak Djokovic hails Rinky Hijikata after Australian’s stunning win in Paris.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion saw his pursuit of a spot at the season-ending ATP Finals come to an abrupt halt on the indoor courts of the French capital.

World No. 83 Rinky Hijikata produced the finest performance of his career to overturn a one-set deficit against the legendary Serbian.

The Australian qualifier stormed back from the brink to secure a famous 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.

With that defeat, Djokovic’s campaign in Paris reached an unexpected conclusion.

The loss also officially extinguished the 39-year-old’s chances of qualifying for the elite year-end championship.

Djokovic was extraordinarily generous in his praise for his conqueror despite his own obvious disappointment.

“Disappointment, obviously, losing a match that I felt like I was dominating for a set and a few games,” Djokovic remarked during his post-match press conference.

“Then he was switched on,” the veteran superstar observed.

“I wasn’t serving as well in the second set,” he conceded.

“He was just playing out of his mind, honestly,” Djokovic declared.

“He was not missing, keeping the ball low,” the Serbian added.

“It was a terrific performance,” Djokovic emphasized.

Yet the competitor inside the tennis icon could not fully mask the sting of a match that slipped away.

“Nobody loves losing,” Djokovic said plainly.

“It’s just another match, but I should’ve won this match,” he admitted.

“I played well in the first set and then completely lost control,” the 24-time major winner explained.

“Of course I’m not the freshest, but not an excuse for the loss,” Djokovic stated.

A DRAMATIC TURNAROUND AFTER NEAR WITHDRAWAL

The victory was all the more extraordinary given Hijikata came remarkably close to not taking the court at all.

The 28-year-old Sydneysider had been struggling with physical ailments right before the scheduled contest.

“I just cooked my neck a bit yesterday and, to be honest, it wasn’t feeling great last night or this morning,” Hijikata revealed afterwards.

The Australian admitted that he seriously considered withdrawing from the high-profile match.

However, he decided to test his physical limits on the court rather than forfeit the opportunity of a lifetime.

“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,” Hijikata explained.

The physical discomfort soon gave way to sheer inspiration once the match progressed.

Hijikata became the lowest-ranked player in 2026 to topple the seven-time Paris champion.

HOW THE CONTEST UNFOLDED UNDER THE LIGHTS

Early on, the encounter followed the script that most tennis observers had anticipated.

Djokovic carried a commanding 2-0 head-to-head record into the contest, having defeated Hijikata in straight sets in both of their previous meetings in 2025.

The Serbian maestro started in ruthless fashion inside the Plenitude Arena.

Djokovic dominated the opening set, wrapping it up 6-2 in under 40 minutes.

His serve fired with typical precision during the opening exchanges, yielding only a single break point while breaking Hijikata twice.

The contest looked destined to be another routine milestone on Djokovic’s Paris journey.

The second set began as a much tighter struggle, staying firmly on serve through the first seven games.

With Djokovic trailing 3-4, the momentum of the entire contest shifted abruptly.

Hijikata struck a decisive blow by securing a crucial service break to claim a 5-3 lead.

Drawing on his experience as a Grand Slam doubles champion, the Australian displayed nerves of steel under pressure.

Hijikata held serve with composure to seal the second set 6-3 and force a deciding third set.

Djokovic made an aggressive bid to reclaim control early in the final frame.

The veteran earned three separate break points to establish a 3-1 advantage.

However, Djokovic was unable to convert any of those critical chances against an unyielding opponent.

Hijikata seized the opening, stepped into baseline rallies with unrelenting aggression, and broke the Serb’s resistance.

The underdog closed out the final set 6-3 beneath a barrage of winners to complete a monumental upset.

EXCLUSIVE AUSTRALIAN COMPANY

By defeating Djokovic, Hijikata etched his name into an exclusive chapter of Australian tennis folklore.

He became only the fourth Australian player in history to beat Djokovic at tour level.

The only other Australians to achieve that feat are Lleyton Hewitt, Nick Kyrgios, and Alex de Minaur.

The triumph also capped what has been an exceptional, breakthrough year for the 28-year-old.

The result marked Hijikata’s fourth victory over a top-20 ranked opponent during the 2026 season.

Remarkably, Hijikata had never defeated a top-20 player in his career prior to this year.

The sensational victory in Paris moved Hijikata to within a single win of achieving a new career-high ranking inside the world’s top 60.

END OF THE ROAD FOR DJOKOVIC’S 2026 CAMPAIGN

For Djokovic, the third-round exit brought a bitter conclusion to his 2026 tournament schedule.