Hijikata's confession after defeating Djokovic: "I didn't know if I could play today"

Rinky Hijikata was still processing what he had just achieved. The Australian pulled off one of the big surprises of the Rolex Paris Masters by defeating Novak Djokovic, but his victory had an added difficulty that few knew about: he wasn't even sure he could step onto the court.

He acknowledged this at the microphone after the match, where he revealed that he had suffered a neck problem the day before. "Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play today," confessed Hijikata. A situation that had affected his hours leading up to the match and was still causing him discomfort that very morning. However, the Australian decided to take a chance and let the adrenaline do the rest.

"I hurt my neck yesterday and, to be honest, I wasn't feeling too well last night or this morning. I guess a bit of adrenaline kicked in, and I was willing to do whatever it took to get out and play," he explained. A gamble that ended up having extraordinary rewards.

Aggression as a recipe to surprise Djokovic

Hijikata also wanted to explain what had changed in his tennis to be able to compete on equal terms with one of the greatest players in history. After acknowledging that Djokovic had been too dominant during the first set, the Australian found a way to stay in the match and capitalize on his opportunities.

"I think the key this week has been trying to impose my game as much as possible and trusting myself in the important moments," noted the Australian, who admitted to being somewhat passive in recent months when faced with pressure situations.

Fortunately, this time he decided to change his approach: "I did a good job of staying true to my game and playing aggressively," he pointed out. A strategy that worked against Djokovic and turned a day that began with physical doubts into one of the most important nights of his career.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La confesión de Hijikata tras tumbar a Djokovic: "No sabía si podría jugar hoy"