PPatience is a virtue that is often overlooked in tennis, drowned out by talk of physicality, strength, speed and endurance. At 6’5″, Alexei Popyrin possesses all of those qualities, but the Australian has had to wait for his big moment. Earlier this month in Montreal, Popyrin became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 to win a Masters 1000 title, improving his ranking to 23rd, his highest ever finish in tennis history, and at least putting his name in the conversation when it comes to players who could top the US Open.
Ben Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, Seb Korda and then in the final Andrey Rublev all discovered how good Popyrin can be when he puts it all together. “Confidence is definitely high right now,” Popyrin said. “I think it’s hard not to have so much confidence after a win like that. It’s definitely a good feeling to go out on the court and have so much confidence. Hopefully it stays like that for a while.”
It’s been seven years since Popyrin won the French Open junior title, becoming the first Australian in 45 years to win at Roland Garros. That foundation has served him well on tour, but for a long time he’s struggled to break through, especially in the biggest events. He’s lost in the fifth set seven times at Grand Slams and has never made it to the fourth round. Coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who helped him make the transition to the professional tour, said he lacked a little faith. In Montreal it was clear a switch had been flipped.
“For me it was about repeating top-10 win after top-10 win and just beating these guys consistently,” said the 25-year-old. “I think we all knew I had what it took to beat a top-10 player, but over the years I haven’t been able to repeat that win. But this week I did it and hopefully it can continue like that.”
Getting to this point required both mental and physical improvements. “We’ve worked on it (the mental side) a lot,” he said. “It’s not the most important thing we’ve worked on, but we’ve worked on it. I do have a sports psychologist by my side, but I think we’ve worked more on the overall consistency of my game. That’s the most important thing we’ve worked on (with his coaches Xavier Malisse and Neville Godwin), and then also the physical side, the fitness side of things. I think that’s why I’ve improved the most, not mentally. I think mentally I’ve kind of improved over the years, I’ve matured. It’s definitely improved, but it’s not the main factor.”
Popyrin is one of 14 Australian men in the main draw of this year’s US Open, led by Alex de Minaur, who is returning from his hip injury at Wimbledon. With Popyrin also seeded, there is great hope that at least one of them could put in a strong showing. It is surely no coincidence that the rising numbers come at a time when Hewitt is ever-present through his role as Australia’s Davis Cup captain. Hewitt is one of the sharpest minds on the court and offers advice to all of his players, and Popyrin in particular has clearly benefited from that.
“He’s been a big help,” Popyrin said. “Lleyton has been through a lot, that’s for sure. At Wimbledon, in my second round, he actually stood in the corner 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 Australians, so it’s great 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 guys.
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“To be the first person since him to win a Masters 1000 and to have my name mentioned in the same sentence as him is a great feeling. Honestly, it’s an honor. But look, the work is not done yet. Now I have to focus on the US Open and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Popyrin is scheduled to play Novak Djokovic in the third round and having come close to him at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, he knows he is good enough. However, his focus remains on the present. “I’m not looking at any results (or the draw),” he said. “My next match is (Monday, Tuesday morning AEST) against (Soonwoo) Kwon (of Korea), he’s a good baseliner and a tough opponent. So it’s not going to be an easy match. I just have to focus on this match and that’s it. If I get through that, we’ll focus on the next one.”
