Both Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev were beaten in the second round of the Paris Masters.
Djokovic was beaten in three sets by Rinky Hijikata, while Medvedev was stunned in straight sets by Iganacio Buse.
The Serbian was diplomatic about his defeat to the Australian, stating: “Nobody loves losing, but it’s just another match” as his season was ended by the defeat.
Medvedev, meanwhile, was far less happy about his shock exit at the hands of Buse.
“Personally, I was having a blast at the NTC yesterday. The courts there… even though people say they’re fast, they actually felt slow to me. I just arrived here today, and it’s ten times faster, which, again, raises some questions,” said Medvedev in his post-match press conference.
“Why is the court over there so much slower? It was really tough to get into a rhythm and play well,” he said, as he became the latest player to criticise the conditions in Paris.
Perhaps more surprisingly, however, were his comments about the ATP Finals.
More Novak Djokovic news
“To be honest, I don’t really have the desire to play anymore this season, but I’ll have to,” said the Russian about playing the year-end event.
With so many players, including the likes of Djokovic, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar, all attempting to qualify for the ATP Finals at the Paris Masters, that seems to be particularly disrespectful.
Djokovic put his body through a lot in order to try and earn a place in the top eight of the rankings before the ATP Finals cut-off.
The star played the China Open, the Shanghai Masters, the Swiss Indoors, and the Paris Masters pretty much back-to-back in order to qualify for the ATP Finals.
After winning the China Open in October, Djokovic said: “At the moment I’m also not qualified yet for the race for Turin. This year I would like to play if I qualify.”
It didn’t quite pay off for the Serbian, who currently sits at 12th in the race to Turin, and he has not qualified for the ATP Finals for just the second time in the last 20 seasons.
Medvedev’s current lack of contempt for the year-end tournament will surely irk Djokovic as a result.
Medvedev was one of the players to confirm his place early, thanks to an impressive run in 2026, and he currently sits at world No 5 in the ATP Tour rankings.
The ATP Finals take place between the 15th and 22nd November in Turin, Italy. So far, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Arthur Fils have confirmed their places at the event.
