This is Rinky Hijikata, the executioner of Djokovic in Paris

Rinky Hijikata has been one of the biggest surprises of 2026 by eliminating Djokovic in the second round of the ATP Paris, coming back from a lost first set and achieving the biggest victory of his career. To understand the magnitude of what happened, we need to talk about his Japanese parents, his humble beginnings, and the journey he has taken to reach where he is today. 

The 25-year-old was born in Sydney on February 23, 2001, and is the son of Makoto and Junko Hijikata, who migrated from Japan to Australia before Rinky was born, being the youngest of three siblings. The entire family focused their discipline on sports, particularly swimming, but they encouraged him to try tennis, a sport he started at the age of 3. Additionally, even though he was born in Australia, his home was always filled with Japanese culture, which is why he never shied away from it. 

While his father worked as a tennis coach and helped Hijikata develop, his mother pushed him to pursue a college education to not put all his eggs in one basket, although at just 11 years old he became the youngest to join the high school team, standing out from a very young age. By 2013, he was already playing international tournaments at the age of 12, and from that moment on, he did not stop traveling and achieving great results. 

University, Hijikata's big step

Despite winning his first ITF title in 2019, Hijikata decided to heed his mother's advice and moved to the United States to play college tennis while balancing his studies. At the University of North Carolina, he spent 2 years, where he had to overcome an ankle injury and earned All-American recognition in his second season. 

Hijikata placed himself among the top 20 players in college tennis, kept his mother happy, and emerged as a promising player, making the jump to the professional circuit in 2021 where he began competing in ITF tournaments and Challengers. A year later, he won his first major Challenger title in Playford, and in just his second year dedicated solely to tennis, he finished ranked 160th in the world. A potential diamond in the rough for Australia was slowly being shaped.

2023, the year of Rinky's change

In 2023, his life changed after winning the doubles title at the Australian Open with Jason Kubler in front of his home crowd, marking the first time they played together. Additionally, that same year he received a wildcard to play singles at the US Open and reached the round of 16, signing another result that would propel his career into the top 100.

In 2024, he settled into the top 100 and reached the later rounds of several ATP tournaments, and was able to debut at the Paris Olympics representing Australia, although he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the first round. To top it off, he finished that year in the top 70 in singles and as the number 23 in doubles, indicating that his career was on the rise. 

2026, the resurgence of Hijikata

2025 was a setback in his career, as a streak of poor results pulled him out of the top 100, but in doubles he reached the final at Wimbledon alongside David Pel, although this time he was unable to take the victory. A challenging year where doubts about his talent arose and whether he could reach his potential, something that changed completely in 2026.

The year started well for him by reaching the round of 16 in Indian Wells, defeating along the way his first top 10 (Alexander Bublik) and achieving the most important victory of his career to date. Furthermore, not only has he returned to the top 100 with his results throughout the year, but in Paris he has defeated the GOAT of the sport to sign off on the victory of his life and ensure he leaves the French capital with a minimum ranking of 71st. One of those victories that can change a tennis player's career and polish a diamond that at times had dulled under the pressure of the circuit.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Así es Rinky Hijikata, el verdugo de Djokovic en París