NATIONAL BANK OPEN

August 4, 2025

Alexei Popyrin

Quick Quotes

A. ZEVREV/A. Popyrin

6-7, 6-4, 6-3

Q. Your thoughts on the match, how it all played out?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I think it was a high-level match. He's No. 3 in the world for a reason. Yeah, I think the first set and, yeah, the first set mainly, I was probably the more aggressive player. Then he kind of got in his rhythm, and then, yeah, I did a good job just clawing back a break.

He played an unbelievable game at 5-4 to break. He read my serve twice, was on my serve, played a great game.

In the third set I think it was the battle of the fittest. He came out serving bombs and I didn't really have much chance on his serve. He broke me in the first game of my serve in the second set.

So, yeah, it was tough to take, I tried my best to claw myself back into the third set. Overall, my level is there, I haven't felt like this all year, which is nice, so I feel like I'm slowly starting to build something.

Q. Last two years in Canada, nine matches, your takeaway the last two years, the tournament in Montreal and here as well, what's your takeaway?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Obviously, it's been a great two years in Canada. I just hope it keeps going every year like this for me here in Canada, and hopefully everywhere else in the world.

Q. Despite the loss, you secured your top-20 debut this week. How do you feel about that, does it feel like a breakthrough moment for you?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: It won't be for long. Losing a thousand points at the end of this week, so it's going to be in and out for me. And then we'll see how I do in Cincy. Hopefully, I can defend my points, and the aim is to try and get seeded for US Open, and that's the main goal.

But if I keep playing the way I played this week and the way I've been building my game, yeah, hopefully I can get back to where I was and even higher.

Q. Sascha was saying at the end of the match that when you're playing at this level you're feared in the tour. What do you make of comments like that?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I think I've shown it in the past. I appreciate the comments, obviously. I think it's always nice to be feared on tour. For me, it's the consistency aspect that I need to get better at. I keep saying it every time, this week's been great, I'm known to have a couple good weeks a year, but I want to have more and more good weeks, and hopefully they can fear me all the time, not just on my good weeks.

Q. When he raised his level, you competed to the end, but did you see anything different in his game or mindset today?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: He was, in terms of what?

Q. In terms of his game compared to previous games.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I think he played solid, and he always plays solid, so I don't think much has changed in his game.

I knew my tactics going out into the match, and I thought I executed them pretty well throughout most of the match. But once he gets in the rhythm, he's one of the better players in the world. For me it was just to try and not give him the rhythm. I did a little bit, but I gave him too much rhythm towards the end of the match.

Q. In a sense is it sort of maybe nice to have this week over, because it was such a long lead up, talking about defending these points, just in terms of the mindset now for the rest of the year?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I'm looking forward to the rest of the year now. If I can keep building off this match and off this tournament, if I can keep playing the way I'm playing, and on a more consistent level, I'm quite clear on the way I want to play, and I just want to keep playing this way for the rest of the year. If I do that, then hopefully I can be more consistent and the ranking will just speak for itself.

Q. Is there anything in particular, when you say consistent, is it like, do you stay aggressive on the serves, stay aggressive on the return game, is there anything specific that you're like, I want to do this better and better?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: No, look, I think it's just, obviously my game revolves around my serve and forehand. I want to hit my spots on my serve, I want to be aggressive with my forehand wing. I felt like I hit my backhand this week the best I hit in my career.

We've worked a lot on my backhand over the course of the year, and I think it's really coming along. I think in today's match I maybe wasn't aggressive enough off it, but that will just come with experience and confidence. Look, I'm feeling good, I think my level's on the up, and hopefully it just continues that way.