DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 26, 2023

Alexei Popyrin

Team Australia

Press Conference

M. ARNALDI/A. Popyrin

7-5, 2-6, 6-4

Team Australia - 0

Team Italy - 1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Alexei, hard lines. Do you feel as though that was one that slipped out of your hands? Eight breakpoints I think in that final set.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, definitely. I felt like I was in control from the second set onwards. You know, I had breakpoints every single game up until -- I had breakpoints every single game in the third set, so for me it was, yeah, it's heartbreaking.

I let it slip, and that's something in Davis Cup Finals, it hurts. Yeah.

Q. I think the stats were 3 from 16 converted today. Was that maybe going through your mind at all in that final game that, you know, you're serving to stay in the match and it was a forehand that went long as well at 30-All?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, the 30-All forehand was he hit a frame, clipped the net tape, got a bad bounce. Obviously in those moments you're a little bit nervy and a little bit tight.

But I think the last game, I missed two forehands, but that's tennis, but it's the breakpoints in the service games that hurt me more than that last game.

Q. Have you ever felt as bad as you feel at the moment?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: No.

Q. On the positive side, you know, you were drafted in as a late replacement. You won a big semifinal tie. There must be things that you can get out of this. I know you don't feel like that at the moment.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, definitely. You know, experience of playing Davis Cup ties, experience of playing on the highest level of Davis Cup in Finals, we have the team to be able to come back next year and fight for it again.

You know, Demon is out there. You can never count him out. And then our dubs boys, you can't count them out. So it's not over yet.

It's just painful that I couldn't get us off on the right foot. But I back the boys 100%. I back Demon. I back the boys to come out there and really show what Australia and Davis Cup tennis is all about.