Following a heartbreaking exit from Indian Wells, 24-time Slam king Novak Djokovic is set to return to the court on Friday. Two weeks ago, he crashed out of the Californian desert after Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp beat him 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. He also broke the Serbian’s hopes to clinch his 100th ATP trophy. Now, Djokovic will look to make it happen in Miami. On Friday, he is set to kickstart his campaign against a young, rising star from Australia, Rinky Hijikata. Ahead of the clash, now’s the best time to know more about the 24-year-old.
Hijikata was born on 23 February 2001 in Sydney, Australia, to Japanese parents Makoto and Junko Hijikata. Mother Junko hails from Kobe while his father Makoto is from Tokyo. And guess what? He’s also a tennis coach. He assisted Rinks from the early age of 3 when he initially started playing tennis in his backyard. When Hijikata turned 11, he joined his high school (The King’s School) varsity tennis team to become better at the racket sport. As he grew older, he got to play at the University of North Carolina for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2019 to 2021. His promising performance earned him the All-American honours as a sophomore.
Interesting fact: He’s also got two siblings, Shori and Kamiyu. They are both professional swimmers.
Interestingly, Hijikata has tried his hands at other sports too. He was a football player for a period of three years and a rugby player for five years. Plus, he also learned to swim for eight years as a child and trained in surf lifesaving for 2 years. But as he mentioned in his own words, back in 2023,
“My goal was always to become a professional tennis player,” reported The Guardian. “Ever since I was really young, that’s all I ever wanted. I never really saw myself doing anything else, to be honest. But for a little while there … I struggled with injuries and whatnot and college kind of became the clear path for me.”
While Rinky Hijikata turned professional in 2021, his Grand Slam debut came at the 2023 US Open, where he received a wildcard entry. The following year, at the Australian Open, also as a wildcard, he achieved his first Grand Slam victory, staging a comeback to defeat Yannick Hanfmann. Notably, that same year, he partnered with fellow Australian Jason Kubler to capture the 2023 Australian Open men’s doubles title.
Here are Rinky Hijikata’s other details:
Category
Details
Favourite Shot
Forehand
Favourite Surface
Hard
Favourite Tournament
Australian Open
Tennis Idols
Favourite Tour Cities
Sports Enjoyed
Rugby Team Fan
Favourite Athlete
Food Preferences
Favourite Superhero
Spider-Man
Favourite Movie
Inception
Favourite TV Show
Suits
Favourite Actress
Margot Robbie
Favourite Musician
Khalid
Secret Talent
Favourite School Subject
Business
Educational Goals
Best Quality
Ambition
Worst Quality
Impatience
Speaking more of his tennis journey, it’s been shaped by some key figures, especially his coaches. He has previously credited Ben Pyne, Jarrad Bunt and David Moore for helping him improve his technique. Going into Friday’s battle against Djokovic, it won’t be an easy ride for him at all. Hijikata may have defeated one Serbian, Hamad Medjedovic, in his first round of the Miami Open, but another one is waiting for him!
Novak Djokovic has an edge over Rinky Hijikata ahead of the Miami Open face-off
Rinky Hijikata’s 2025 season has been mostly underwhelming so far. Why so? He’s not been able to make a deep run in most of the tournaments, barring one.
Back in January, he succeeded in reaching the QF stage of the Adelaide International before losing to Tommy Paul. Then at the Australian Open, he was ousted in the first round itself. Speaking of other events (Dallas, Delray, Acapulco, and Indian Wells), he’s not able to go past the R16. And most importantly, he’s already looking weaker against Novak Djokovic ahead of their Miami Open clash. Why so?
Prior to his campaign in Adelaide, Hijikata participated in another event. It was the Brisbane International in early January. And guess who his first round opponent was? It was none other than Djoker. Back then, the Serbian easily went past the Aussie in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Thanks to the previous meeting, a first between the two, Djokovic is currently leading the h2h tally 1-0. Which means he’s got the edge over Hijikata going into the R64 encounter.
On the other hand, Djoker, who has not competed at the hard-court ATP Masters 1000 event since 2019, will also look to clinch a record 7th trophy in Miami to surpass Andre Agassi. A victory in Miami, his first since 2016, would also propel Novak Djokovic to the milestone of 100 career tour-level titles.
The post Who Is Novak Djokovic’s 1R Opponent at the Miami Open? Everything You Need to Know About Rinky Hijikata appeared first on EssentiallySports.
