On a remarkable day of upsets at the Paris Masters, the door to the ATP Finals was swinging open for Novak Djokovic – until he joined the list of high-profile names slumping to shock defeats.
After Rafael Jodar and Alex de Minaur early in the Paris tournament, Djokovic was handed the chance he was hoping for to seal his place in the end-of-season ATP Finals for a 19th time in his incredible career.
As Djokovic won the first set against Rinky Hijikata, the Serbian legend appeared to be closing in on another improbable achievement, but Djokovic faded physically as his Australian opponent upped his game and secured a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win.
“That’s been the key this week for me: To try and impose my game as much as I can and back myself in the big moments,” said Hijikata
“The last few months, I’ve maybe gotten a little bit passive under pressure, but this week I’ve done a good job of sticking to my game and staying aggressive.”
“He was playing too good for me for the first set and a little bit. I was just trying to hang tough as much as I could, and I was happy to maintain my level for as long as I could.”
Djokovic appeared to rush through the final games in the match as he struggled with a physical ailment and an opponent who raised his game to a high level, as he was forced to accept his final big target of 2026 would not be achieved.
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Djokovic’s defeat was a huge boost to Jodar’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals for the first time in his career, after he suffered a defeat against Casper Ruud on Monday.
As it stands, Jodar is sitting in the final qualifying position for the Turin finals, with Frances Tiafoe’s hopes of qualifying also given a huge boost after Djokovic’s defeat.
“Disappointment, obviously, losing a match that I felt like I was dominating for a set and a few games,” Djokovic said. “Then he was switched on. I wasn’t serving as well in the second set. He was just playing out of his mind, honestly. He was not missing, keeping the ball low. It was a terrific performance.
“Nobody loves losing. It’s just another match, but I should’ve won this match. I played well in the first set and then completely lost control.”
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Djokovic is due to play at a tournament in Greece next week in what will now be his final event of a 2026 season that included an appearance in the Australian Open final and a run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
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