Novak Djokovic Crashes Out of Paris Masters After Defeat to Rinky Hijikata

Novak Djokovic suffered a disappointing second-round exit at the Paris Masters, falling 6-2, 3-6, 3-6 to Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata. With this defeat, the Serbian legend has officially been eliminated from contention for the ATP Finals in Turin.

Djokovic made a confident start, comfortably claiming the opening set 6-2. However, Hijikata soon seized control of the contest, taking the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to seal his passage through the round of 32 in the French capital.

Prior to this match, Djokovic held a flawless 2-0 record against Hijikata (winning 6-3, 6-3 in Brisbane and 6-0, 7-6 in Miami), but their head-to-head now stands at 2-1 in the Serb's favour.

Ahead of the Paris tournament, four players had already officially booked their places for the season finale in Turin (November 15–22): Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, and Daniil Medvedev. Jannik Sinner had also amassed enough qualifying points, but a knee injury ruled him out of the event, opening up an additional qualification berth for the chasing pack.

Following his defeat, Djokovic remains on 2,900 points in the ATP Race to Turin, leaving him unable to reach the threshold needed for the season-ending tournament. The main contenders currently vying for the remaining spots include Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe, Rafael Jódar, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Tommy Paul.