Rinky Hijikata has revealed he almost didn’t even step on court before scoring the biggest win of his career to knock out the great Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals.
Continuing his inspired run from qualifying, Hijikata lit up the indoor Plenitud Arena to beat Djokovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the third round of the Paris Masters.
Djokovic was dispatched with a surge of 83 major winners, joining Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt as the fourth Australian to conquer the mighty Serb and extend his career-best season.
The win was the 28-year-old’s fourth top 20 scalp of 2026, having never claimed it before, and pushed Hijikata to within a career-high of a new career ranking in the world’s top 60.
However, the Sydneysider almost pulled one back before a ball was kicked on Thursday (AEDT).
“I cooked my neck a little bit yesterday and to be honest, I didn’t feel good last night or this morning,” Hijikata said after becoming the lowest-ranked player to topple seven-time Paris champion Djokovic this year.
“But a bit of adrenaline kicked in and I was going to give it my all, so I’m happy with my performance.”
Djokovic reached the Australian Open final in January and then won his 102nd tour-level title in Beijing last month, but the 39-year-old was unable to extend his 2026 season in France.
The loss reduced the 24-time grand slam winner’s chances of qualifying for the season-ending championship, of which he has won seven times.
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“Disappointment, obviously, to lose a match that I felt I had the upper hand for a set and a couple of games,” Djokovic said.
“Then he turned on. I didn’t serve very well in the second set. Honestly, he was out of his mind. He wasn’t lacking, he was keeping the ball down. It was a great performance.
“No one likes to lose. It’s another match, but I should have won this match. I played well in the first set and then I lost control completely.”
Hijikata will next face Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who dashed De Minaur’s hopes of making the Tour for the third year with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 victory over the Australian No.9.