ATP Tour

Hijikata taking 'best-level season' into Djokovic meeting

Rinky Hijikata is enjoying the best season of his career on the ATP Tour, and the Australian will look to draw on that growing confidence when he takes on Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday.

After efficiently coming through qualifying, Hijikata then swept past Luciano Darderi in the first round of the French ATP Masters 1000 event, using his pinpoint serving and slick net play to disrupt the World No. 21. Djokovic then came through his opening match to set up a third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair.

“Novak is statistically the greatest player of all time,” Hijikata told ATPTour.com in Paris. “There's not much he hasn't accomplished in this sport. I've been lucky enough to play him twice and it's always been good fun. It's pretty special being able to play against such a great champion like himself. Either way, I think it's going to be a really fun match.”

Their previous encounters came in Brisbane and Miami last year, with Djokovic winning both matches in straight sets. However, Hijikata has shown glimpses of his ability to trouble the former World No. 1 and will arrive in Paris with greater confidence following his progress this season. The 25-year-old Australian knows, though, that overcoming the record seven-time Paris champion will require something special.

“To take him down, you're going to have to play at a very high level for a long time,” Hijikata, who is at No. 77 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, said. “There's no secret. You're just going to have to come up with some really good stuff, point after point, and he's not going to give you anything. That's what the best players make you do.”

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Hijikata’s victory against Darderi was not only his third straight against the Italian this year, but also personal-best 16th overall tour-level win of the season. Having captured the Australian Open doubles title alongside Jason Kubler in 2023, Hijikata has long demonstrated the effectiveness of his aggressive approach, and he is increasingly translating those qualities into results on the singles court this year.

Much of that progress has come through the work he has put in with his team throughout 2026, following an injury setback that disrupted his momentum last year. Working alongside coach Mark Draper, who also guides fellow Australian and Top-100 player Adam Walton, Hijikata has focused on making improvements to his game while maintaining the consistency that proved difficult to find during his recovery.

“I feel like I've made a lot of big improvements this year,” Hijikata said. “I feel level wise, this is probably the best season I've had in my career so far and I'm hoping I can keep improving. Last year I missed a little bit of time with injury and that was the first time it's happened to me and that was not difficult.

“It was quite difficult to come back from. But I'm just happy this year that I've been able to stay healthy and make some big improvements.”

Watch Hijikata earn his first Top-10 win in Indian Wells:

Hijikata’s results have reflected that progress: This year, he reached the fourth round at Indian Wells and the quarter-finals at Queen's Club, both times as a qualifier. Though he is not quite back at his career-high No. 62 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the Australian has unlocked further improvements in two of his most important weapons that could help him return there.

“I've tinkered a little bit with my racquet strings and I feel like my serve and my forehand have improved a lot,” Hijikata said. “I think that's been a big catalyst. I think I'm playing a lot more matches on my own terms and kind of taking my game to a lot more guys this year.”

That more assertive approach will be essential against Djokovic, who is still in contention for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals and currently at 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.