Alexei Popyrin exudes confidence ahead of US Open after big breakthrough | US Open Tennis 2024

PSkill is an often overlooked virtue in tennis, drowned out by talk of physicality, strength, speed and stamina. At 6’5″, Alexei Popyrin possesses all of 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, pushing his ranking to a career high of No. 23 and at least putting his name in the conversation when it comes to players who can 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 how good Popyrin can be when he puts it all together. “The confidence is definitely high now,” Popyrin said. “I think it’s hard not to have high confidence after a win like that. It’s definitely a good feeling to be on the court and have that much confidence. Hopefully it stays that way for a while.”

It’s been seven years since Popyrin won the junior title at the French Open, the first Australian to win Roland Garros in 45 years. That foundation has stood him in good stead as he finds his feet on the tour, but for a long time he’s found it hard to break through, especially at the biggest events. He’s lost in the fifth set seven times at grand slams and has yet to reach the fourth round. Coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who helped guide his transition to the professional tour, said he lacked a bit of faith. In Montreal, it was clear that a switch had been flipped.

“For me it was about backing up one top-10 win with another and another and just beating those guys consistently,” the 25-year-old said. “I think we all knew I had the game to beat one top-10 player, but over the years I haven’t been able to back that win up. But I did that week, and hopefully it can continue like that.”

To get to this point, both mental and physical improvements were needed. “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 on the sidelines, but I think we’ve worked 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, rather than mentally. I think mentally I’ve improved a bit over the years, I’ve matured. It’s definitely improved, but it’s not the most important 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 the hip injury he sustained at Wimbledon. With Popyrin also seeded, expectations are high that at least one of them can make a strong run. It is surely no coincidence that the increased numbers come at a time when Hewitt has been an ever-present through his role as Australia’s Davis Cup captain. Hewitt is one of the sharpest minds on court and offers advice to all his players, and Popyrin in particular has clearly benefited from that.

“He’s been a big help,” Popyrin said. “Lleyton’s been around the block for a while, that’s for sure. At Wimbledon, in my second round, he was 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 Aussies, so it’s great to have him on our side. We certainly don’t take it for granted. Everything he says makes sense and he tries to help all the guys.

“To be the first person to win a Masters 1000 since him, to have my name in the same sentence as his, it’s a great feeling. It’s an honor, to be honest. But look, the work isn’t done yet. Now I’ve got 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 brought him close at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, he knows his game is there. His focus, however, is on the present. “I’m not looking ahead to results (or the draw),” he said. “My next match is (Monday, early Tuesday AEST) against (Soonwoo) Kwon (of Korea), he’s a good baseliner and a tough player to play. So it’s not going to be an easy match. I just have to focus on that one and that’s it. If I get through that, we’ll focus on the next one.”