ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 2, 2023

Alexei Popyrin

Press Conference

A. POPYRIN/F. Auger-Aliassime

6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Talk about the win over Felix.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, really good win for me, especially coming off last season where I only had five wins on the circuit. For me it's a very, very important win.

I know I have the level to play against guys like that, and today just proved it, so yeah, I'm happy. I'm not surprised, to be honest, but I'm happy with it.

Q. In the past you've beaten top-20 players, all these sorts of things. Does this feel different? Does it feel like the beginning of something --

ALEXEI POPYRIN: No. No, for me, it's just the hard work that I've put in over the off-season. Made a few changes in my team, brought in Xavier Malisse. He's been a great addition for me. He's really kind of re-teaching me how to play tennis but in a more calm way.

But for me, look, after the year I had last year, like I said, it's a really, really great win for me, but honestly, it's not significant I'm super pumped about. It's something that I fully expect myself to do, to be able to beat these players, and it's how I come out to play these matches against these guys.

Q. Can you talk us through last year and what happened? Five wins obviously --

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Definitely wasn't the plan to fall half my ranking backwards. Last year was a learning curve for me. I made some changes in my coaching team, which I probably -- that taught me a different way of playing tennis.

For me, it didn't work for me. It worked for some players, but it didn't work for me. Look, I learnt from it. I had a few niggles, a few injuries here and there that didn't help my year, and it all became a roller coaster downwards. The confidence was going down. I was losing matches. Confidence was going down. Practices weren't going great.

Then from October last year, felt like I'm on an up trend. I kind of felt like I had to set a team around me, which I fully believed in, fully trusted in, and right now I've got that, and today shows that it's going well.

Q. What sort of changes has Xavier Malisse made with you so far?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I don't want to give all my tricks away, but I'd rather the players find out when they play against me, but look, we're just trying to become a little bit more solid, that's all. A bit more solid from the baseline. Try and not give away as many errors as I usually do when I play, especially last year.

Still utilizing my strengths, which I think everybody knows what they are, but at the same time, not get too panicky when I'm on the defense, when I'm on the back foot kind of, and like when we're both rallying.

Other than that, he's just helping me become a little bit more mentally calm on the court, which today I think I'm very happy with, with what I did on the court, being mentally calm, winning the first set, calming myself down, and then obviously the plan wasn't to come out and get broken first game, but it happened, and I kind of calmed myself down.

Q. You were 3-1 down at one point --

ALEXEI POPYRIN: In the tiebreak? Yeah, 3-1 down.

Q. Coming back there, that would suggest you're in a good space at the moment.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I just knew that I broke him two games -- well, yeah, twice in the match. I knew I would have opportunities on his serve, and when I'm 3-1 down, it's a mini break. It's just one point to get back on serve. Just got to get the return in and then try and play it up from there, and that's what I twice in the tiebreak, which was great.

Q. Can you tell us, without giving away your secrets, did you approach Xavier Malisse? How did it come about?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I approached him, and I didn't know what he was doing. One of my better friends he worked with. Lloyd Harris worked with him. He's one of my better friends on tour, and they kind of stopped after French Open after Lloyd had his wrist injury, and look, I asked him as a friend if he wouldn't mind me approaching him, and he was like, as all good friends do, he was all for it, and for me it was just -- Xav was the only guy I really wanted in my team, so yeah, that's how it worked.

Q. Do you think it helped you today going through qualifying?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: No. Look, honestly, you get match practice, you get match fit, but yesterday was really, really hot. We played for two and a half hours in the sun, 36-degree heat. Came off the court and my calf started cramping a little bit. That's why I called the doctor out. Felt a little bit of spasms in my calf today.

From a physical point of view, no, it didn't help, but from a kind of match play, match practice point of view, it definitely helped a lot. It helped settle the nerves. I think if I would have came out today being my first match of the year, then I probably would have been a bit more nervous. There would have been a bit more errors here and there, but honestly match practice, it never hurts, and that's what I took qualifying as, just match practice to get up to rhythm of -- just to get a head start from all the players that are playing in the main draw, playing their first matches.

Q. You've had some top-10 wins before, but is this the best one of your career?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I would say so. Yeah, for me, obviously he's one of the in-form players that we have on the tour right now, so yeah, if we go by ranking and by performance, then yeah, it's probably one of the better wins of my career.

Q. Given the size of that win, how do you now back up mentally, facing someone like Marcos Giron next? How is that going to be coming off the high of this?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I didn't even know I was playing him in the second round until you mentioned it. I'm just going to take it and do my recovery, forget about tennis for today, and then come back tomorrow and focus on doubles, and then I think on Wednesday I'll get to play Marcos.

We have two days now where I can just relax the body a little bit, relax the mental side a little bit, and yeah, we'll focus on it maybe tomorrow afternoon after the doubles or maybe even in the morning of match day.

Until then, I'm not going to think about it much.

Q. If you look back at your journey to this point, top junior, rushed into the top 100, and the last couple years have been pretty tough. What do you think have been some of the bigger challenges you've faced during that time?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I think nobody does it perfectly. There's just a few guys who do it perfectly from such a young age. Me, I don't come from a tennis background. My parents don't come from a tennis background. We don't come from a sporting background. We have to learn as we go.

My parents did that when they were helping me come through, and then once I took the reins from my parents, I had to learn.

In 2021, everything kind of was great. I was 21, got my first ATP title, felt like I was there, felt like I could go higher. I even told my physio at the time that I felt like I could reach the second week of a Slam, I could go all the way. That's the confidence I had.

Then things took a turn. I hired some people that obviously probably weren't the best for my game. But I believed it at the time, that it was the best for my game, and look, I do everything to 100 percent, so I followed it to 100 percent, and for me it was a great learning curve.

Last year started off the year at my highest ranking at 59, and for me the plan wasn't to go back. Everything that happened last year was a learning curve.

I take example from my parents, who learnt along the way, and I learnt along the way, also, the last year, and for me it was that. It's just a learning curve, and that's how I take last year.

I don't want to talk about last year anymore. We're only going to look forward to this year, and the work that we're doing right now is really, really good. The people I have around me are really, really great. I love my whole team, and my family are behind me to support me on every move, and that for me is the most important thing.

Q. Do people underestimate just how tough it is at this level, especially for a young guy with a big game trying to figure it all out?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah. Look, obviously there's sound at the back, which I don't listen to at all, but I think people do. They see a big guy, they see a big serve, they see a pretty talented player, and they think it's all going to come so easily, and he should be at the top in a matter of time.

For some people it works. For some people they have a great team behind them which do all the work, and they stick with that team and they believe in that team.

For me, it was a different path, and look, I'm not anywhere near the top right now, but I fully believe that if I continue along the path that I'm going in right now, then I have a chance of getting there.

There will be a few bumps along the road. There will be a few bruises along the road, too. Yeah, for me it's just going, learning, always learning, and trying to get to the top as quick as I can.

Q. What were you feeling like when you were falling down in the second set?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I was just trying to focus on holding my serve at first because if he gets a double break, then the set is basically lost with a guy who serves like Felix. I was just trying to focus on holding my serve, which I did, and then try and get the returns back in play. Not to push them back in play but to really swing at the returns when I had the chance and get them back in play. Once we got into the rallies, it's a 50/50 battle there; whoever takes advantage of the point wins the point. That's what I did at 4-1.

Q. What age were you when you decided to come far in tennis?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: My mom tells me the story that the first time I picked up a racquet was at three years old. I don't remember that moment. I played in the garage with her, and then she took me to my first lesson when I was three.

That's probably when my parents decided that I would play tennis, but when I decided I would play tennis was probably around the age of 10 when I had to choose between soccer and tennis, and I chose tennis.

Q. Will you have a hit with me sometime?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, for sure, tomorrow maybe. If you're around tomorrow then we can go for a hit. Good question.