At only 23, Rinky Hijikata is set to make his Olympic debut this week in Paris.
Rinky will take on the Men’s Singles event, alongside fellow Aussies, Alex De Minaur (NSW) and Alexei Popyrin (NSW).
As he gears up for his Olympic Games debut, we were fortunate enough to catch up with Rinky and hear how he is feeling about the Olympics and her off-court plans in Paris.
Were the Olympics special to you as a kid and was it ever a goal?
Yes I always loved watching the Olympics as a kid, it was awesome being able to watch the Aussies win medals in different events. I always dreamt of competing in some sport at the Olympics one day.
When did the idea of becoming an Olympian seem achievable?
Honestly not until last year, my ranking had a huge jump at the end of last year and it became more of a realistic goal and one that I really wanted to achieve this year.
What is it like training and competing as a team?
We haven’t been able to train much yet as we’re all at different tournaments but I’ve been around the team environment at Davis cup and there’s nothing like it. It’s great being around so many other Aussies and getting behind one another.
Does the Olympic stage make you nervous or do you think of it as just another tournament?
It’s maybe a little bit of a different pressure but I’ve had similar experiences before and always loved it so I’m looking forward to it.
Do you feel confident on the clay after Roland Garros or would you have preferred a different surface?
I feel like I can play well on the clay, I thought I started playing some good tennis towards the back end of the clay season so looking forward to keeping that momentum.
Do you have any extracurricular activities planned in Paris?
I’m excited to go to the opening ceremony, I’ve always enjoyed watching that on tv so to be there in person will be pretty special.
Are croissants allowed or do you have to wait until the closing ceremony?
Maybe a couple once the tournament is done.
____________________________________________________________
Tennis NSW and the tennis community will be cheering Rinky and Team Australia on, and wish them all the best at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The entire country will be watching and supporting.
The Olympic Tennis event will start at 12.00pm on Saturday 27 July across 12 match courts including Roland Garros’ three prized stadium courts – Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen and Simonne Matheiu.
Men’s and women’s singles and men’s and women’s doubles will commence on the first day of play. The mixed doubles will commence on Monday 29 July.
Don’t forget to tag him @R1nky_23
Latest
NSW