Rinky Hijikata hopes the highs he’s enjoyed on the doubles court – plus the experience gained and lessons learned with those triumphs – serve him well going forward on the singles court.
Melbourne, Australia, 1 October 2025 | Victoria Rudnikov
Australian rising star Rinky Hijikata, a powerhouse on the doubles court, has singles aspirations at the forefront of his career goals.
Appearing on this week’s episode of The Sit-Down podcast, the former world No.62 revealed that taking his singles game to the next level was a priority.
LISTEN: Rinky Hijikata on The Sit-Down podcast
“I guess my dream’s kind of always been to play in those matches, in the singles court on those big courts against the best players in the world,” he said.
“That’s what I’ve always dreamt of doing.”
Highlights of Hijikata’s 2025 season include reaching the Wimbledon doubles final alongside David Pel and debuting in Australia’s Davis Cup team, but his year hasn’t been without complications.
After his run at the All England Club, the 24-year-old struggled with an abdominal injury and barely competed before the US Open.
“I definitely want to make sure I’m healthy first and foremost. I feel like that’s probably the most important thing,” he said, “and then I just keep trying to do whatever I can to improve and maximise my tennis career.”
Hijikata’s first taste of ultimate tour success came when he won the Australian Open 2023 men’s doubles title alongside compatriot Jason Kubler – a milestone serving as confirmation he was on the right path towards his goals.
“[That victory] gave me a bit of experience of playing on those big courts and playing in those pressure moments, even if it was a doubles court,” he reflected.
“I think that kind of belief and being able to perform under that pressure definitely transferred to the singles court. It was later that year I did well at the US Open and managed to break into the Top 100.”
Hijikata, now 24, also credits his time in the US college system as one of his best decisions, setting him up for future tour success. Hijikata represented the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2019 to 2021, and loved the experience.
“Even now when I go back, [my college coaches] still put in a lot of work with me. I owe them a lot because I felt like I improved so much over my time there,” Hijikata said.
“By the time I left, I felt like I’d put in so much work that… I guess I had a lot of confidence in the work that I’d put in and the improvements I had made, and yeah, I guess that definitely helped with those first years on tour.”
Hijikata, currently ranked 112th, is back competing regularly on tour and hopes those physical setbacks are in the past.
He’s also hoping those highs on the doubles court – coupled with the experience gained and lessons learned in those campaigns – serve him well in the next stage of his career.
“That’s probably the biggest success, if I can just look back whenever I’m finished and say that, yeah, I gave it everything, and whatever that is,” Hijikata said.
“If it means I’m top 50, if I’m top 30, top 20, yeah, that’s what I’m always striving towards.”
