Patience is a virtue often overlooked in tennis, drowned out by talk of physicality, of power, speed and endurance. At 6ft 5in, Alexei Popyrin possesses all those things, but the Australian has had to wait for his time in the sun. In Montreal earlier this month, Popyrin became the first Australian to win a Masters 1000 title since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003. In doing so, he pushed his ranking to a career-high No 23 and thrust his name at least into the conversation when it comes to players who could make a big run at the US Open.
Ben Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, Seb Korda and then, in the final, Andrey Rublev, all discovered just how good Popyrin can be when he puts everything together. “Confidence levels are definitely high right now,” Popyrin said. “I think it’s hard not to have high confidence after a win like that. It’s definitely a good feeling getting on the tennis court and having such confidence. Hopefully that can stay for a while.”
It is seven years since Popyrin won the junior title at the French Open, the first Australian to win at Roland Garros in 45 years. That foundation served him well as he made his way on the Tour but for a long time, he found it hard to break through, especially at the biggest events. He has lost in a fifth set seven times at grand slams and he has yet to reach the fourth round. Coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who helped to guide his transition to the professional Tour, said he lacked a little belief. In Montreal, it was clear a switch had been pressed.
“For me, it was about being able to back up one top-10 win with another and another and just consistently beating those guys,” the 25-year-old said. “I think we all knew that I had the game to be able to beat one top 10 player, but over the years, I haven’t been able to back up that win. But that week I was able to do it, and hopefully it can continue.”
Getting to this point has required both mental and physical improvements. “We’ve worked a lot on it [the mental side],” he said. “It’s not the main thing that we worked on, but we have worked on it. I do have a sports psychologist on the side, but I think more so we worked on the overall consistency of my game. That’s the main thing that we’ve been working on [with his coaches, Xavier Malisse and Neville Godwin], and then also on the physicality side, the fitness side of things. I think that’s why I’ve improved the most, rather than mentally. I think mentally over the years, I’ve kind of improved, I’ve matured. It definitely has improved, but it’s not the main factor.”
Popyrin is one of 14 Australian men in the main draw at this year’s US Open, led by Alex de Minaur, who returns from the hip injury he suffered at Wimbledon. With Popyrin also seeded, hopes are high that one of them, at least, could make a strong run. It’s surely no coincidence that the increasing numbers have come at a time when Hewitt has been ever-present through his role as Australia’s Davis Cup captain. One of the sharpest brains on a tennis court, Hewitt offers advice to all his players and Popyrin, in particular, has clearly benefitted.
“He’s been a big help,” Popyrin said. “Lleyton’s been around the around the block, that’s for sure. At Wimbledon, in my second round, he actually stood in the corner for the whole match – five sets, four and a half hours. That’s the kind of person he is. He’s always there for all the Aussies he so it’s amazing to have him on our side. We definitely don’t take it for granted. Everything he says makes sense, and he tries to help all the boys.
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“To be able to be the first person to win a Masters 1000 since him, to have my name in the same sentence as his, is a great feeling. It’s an honour, to be honest. But look, the work’s not done. Now I have US Open to focus on and that’s what we’ll be doing.”
Popyrin is slated to play Novak Djokovic in the third round and having pushed him close at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, he knows his game is there. His focus, though, remains on the present. “I don’t look ahead to any results [or the draw],” he said. “My next match is [Monday, early Tuesday AEST] against [Soonwoo] Kwon [from Korea], he’s a good baseliner and tough player to play. So it’s not going to be an easy match. I’ve just got to focus on that one, and that’s it. If I get through that we focus on the next.”
