Rinky Hijikata: Alex and Alexei are making the breakthrough really quickly
Rinky Hijikata is looking forward to making the most of the Australian Open Wildcard playoffs and is hoping he can replicate fellow young Australian Alex de Minaur’s success on tour.
He initially thought he was pranked when he got a text message claiming to be from his idol Lleyton Hewitt. But the invitation to play the playoffs is real and Hijikata will not let this opportunity go waste.
Having dominated the junior tour for almost half a decade now, Hijikata was recently crowned the U-18 National Champion. He is looking to follow Alex de Minaur’s footsteps, who won the playoffs last year and ended the season as the Top Ranked Australian.
"I got a text message to let me know I was in the playoff and I didn't know if it was real or not," Hijikata told AAP.
"It was a bit of a shock. I've always looked up to him (Hewit) and watched him so much when I was a kid, so it was pretty surreal. And then he congratulated me after my match yesterday so that was really kind of him as well."
Playing best of 5 set matches has been an experience in itself! "It was tough on the body but I've pulled up alright and will have a lighter day today. The best guys in the world are able to back it up for seven matches, so I've been working really hard on my fitness and it's good to see that it's paying off."
He then spoke about the two young guns – Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin. "Alex and Alexei are guys who are making the breakthrough really quickly," Hijikata said.
"They both work incredibly hard and are really diligent, so it goes to show that if you put in the work it's not too far of a stretch," he further added.
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