All of Novak Djokovic‘s closest competitors in the ATP race, including Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, and Rafael Nadal, had lost their matches at the La Défense Arena on Wednesday. Not to mention, the likes of Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev had also made their exits on a chaotic day at the 2026 Paris Masters, and it seemed like the ATP Finals qualification along with a title charge in Naterre was there for the taking for the former World No. 1. However, the Serb’s ambitions came to an end at the hands of unheralded Rinki Hijikata, after which he had an honest take on his performance.
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“Nobody loves losing but it’s just another match, I know I should have won this match, ” said Djokovic in a post-match press interview. “I played well first set but then lost control of the match after that. Of course Im not the freshest, but not an excuse for the loss.”
Coming into the match, Djokovic had a 2-0 head-to-head record against Hijikata, beating the Australian in straight sets both times they played each other in 2025. The match looked set to go in a similar direction when the Serb was dominant in the first set, closing it out 6-2 in under 40 minutes. The serve was working for the 24-time Major champion as he faced only one break point in the set, while breaking his opponent’s serve twice.
The second set remained on serve till 4-3, which is when Hijikata turned the match around by getting a crucial service break to go 5-3 up. The Australian is a Grand Slam champion in doubles and has experience holding under pressure, which he showed as he served the second set out at 6-3. In the third set, Djokovic made the early move, getting three break points to go 3-1 up, but could not convert any of those.
That seemed to be the turning point, as Hijikata remained assured behind his own serve while making significant inroads into the Serb’s second serve, with Djokovic managing to win only one second-serve point in the third set. The Australian broke twice, winning the match 2-6, 6-3,6-3.
The comments about being fresh by Djokovic do have some merit, as the Serb had just played a grueling opening match against Valentin Vacherot, where the former World No. 1 made one of his signature comebacks after losing the first set and being broken down in the second set. However, with the Paris Masters being a condensed one-week event, Djokovic was always in for a tough schedule, given that he needed at least a semifinal run in Nantes to keep his Turin hopes alive.
The Hijikata loss is not the first time that the Serb has fallen to a lower-ranked player this year, especially at the Masters. The likes of Dino Prizmic and Thiago Augustin Tirante have beaten him at Rome and Cincinnati this year, venues where Djokovic had previously been successful. The Serb has also struggled against opponents he has beaten previously. The most recent example was the loss to Jan-Lennard Struff in Basel, against whom the former World No.1 had lost only one set in eight previous meetings.
With the loss in Paris, Djokovic’s 2026 season came to an end, with the Serb missing the qualification cut for the ATP Finals for the first time in nine years.
Novak Djokovic Misses ATP Finals Qualification After Nine Years
2017 was the last year Djokovic did not make it to the year-end championships, mainly because he ended his season after Wimbledon due to an injury. Ironically, the former World No. 1 had qualified for the Finals in 2024 and 2025, but skipped the event to preserve his body and prepare for next season.
This year was different as the Serb had played a very limited schedule, focusing strictly on Grand Slams, and was motivated to make the cut for the Finals. His winning the China Open was a big boost to his chances, but his form fell off after the title in Beijing, as he lost three of his next five matches.
The season saw Djokovic play 31 matches in total, his lowest Tour-level tally since 2005, when he played 22 matches. The Serb had some excellent highs, such as reaching the Australian Open final and winning a marathon Wimbledon quarterfinal, but his losses also showed that the once impregnable force was now on its last legs.