Novak Djokovic’s bid to reach the season-ending ATP Finals is over. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was beaten in the second round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday by Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata, a result that ends his hopes of qualifying for the eight-man event in Turin.
Hijikata, ranked 83rd in the world, fought back to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic, 39, had looked in control early on, taking the first set comfortably, but the Australian qualifier grew into the match and took charge of a tight second set without giving the Serbian a single chance to break his serve.
The deciding set turned on small margins. Djokovic double-faulted three times and could not convert any of his three break-point chances in the fourth game, with Hijikata holding firm each time. The Australian then broke in the seventh game, and although Djokovic saved one match point while serving to stay in the contest, he could not save a second, handing Hijikata the biggest win of his career.
Djokovic did not hide his frustration afterwards. He said he felt disappointment at losing a match he felt he had been dominating in the first set, but he was generous about his opponent, saying Hijikata had been switched on, had kept the ball low, had barely missed, and had produced a terrific performance. Asked about his plans for the coming weeks, the Serbian said simply that he intended to rest.
The defeat was decisive for the race to Turin because Djokovic needed a deep run in Paris to stay in contention. Reports before the match said he needed to reach the semi-finals to keep his hopes alive, and his early exit leaves him mathematically out of the running for the season-ending championship, which begins in Turin on November 15 and features the top eight singles players of the season. Two places in the field were still available when Djokovic lost, leaving other contenders, including Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, still able to change the final picture.
It was a day of shocks in the French capital. World No. 1 Alexander Zverev also lost, going down in straight sets to Italian Lorenzo Musetti, while Frenchman Quentin Halys delighted the home crowd by beating seventh seed Frances Tiafoe in a deciding-set tie-break. Hijikata will next face Argentine Tomas Etcheverry in the round of 16, after Etcheverry beat Alex de Minaur 7-6, 6-3.
For Djokovic, a seven-time champion in Paris, the loss continues a difficult run since Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Jannik Sinner. He has now lost in the first or second round in five of his six tournaments since then. For Hijikata, 25, the victory is career-defining: he became the lowest-ranked player to beat Djokovic this year, and he did it on one of the sport’s biggest indoor stages.
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