MURRAY RIVER OPEN

February 3, 2021

Alexei Popyrin

Press Conference

A. POPYRIN/T. Paul

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What pleased you the most about the win?

ALEXI POPYRIN: I think just my overall game. I played really solid from all aspects of my game. I served really well, I was able to hit my forehand as well as I hoped. My backhand was really solid and I was playing an aggressive game which yesterday I didn't really do. Yesterday I was a bit tight on my forehand and on my ground strokes in general. So I was glad that I got the feeling in my ground strokes back today.

Q. Was there anything in your mindset that changed between yesterday and today?

ALEXI POPYRIN: I think it's always the first match and to get that out of the way I kind of relaxed and especially when going down six match points yesterday I think all the pressure has been relieved off me, so I'm now able to play freely and just to play my game and enjoy it out there and that's what I did today.

Q. You commented yesterday that you seemed to play your best tennis at the Australian Open what is it about Melbourne Park that brings out your best?

ALEXI POPYRIN: I think it's the home crowd. The last two years have been really special for me in Australia, tennis-wise and, yeah, I've just, I've always brought my A game to Aussie Open and I think the crowd really helps that, the home crowd and obviously playing at home where I grew up so obviously it's a, that plays a big part of it.

Q. Speaking of home how good has it been to return to Australia after everything that's sort of happened in the past year?

ALEXI POPYRIN: Oh, it's been amazing. The whole world is not what Australia is right now, so it's completely different outside of Australia. To come back here and to have the freedom that we have, to have, to just live a normal life. I get to see my older sister, who is pregnant right now, so, yeah, that's great for me and, yeah, I get to see her and I get to spend some time with her and that's what I always do when I come down to Australia.

Q. You typically base yourself in Nice, are there any plans to stay a bit longer after the Australian Open?

ALEXI POPYRIN: No, I think the tour continues. If there are tournaments to play, then I'll have to go play them. I want to get my ranking up as high as quick as possible and get direct entries into all the slams and then hopefully I can build on my ranking from there. But for now, no plans to stay in Australia longer. As the tour goes, I go.

Q. What was the first thing that you did when you got out of quarantine?

ALEXI POPYRIN: I think I went -- nothing, honestly. I had to wait for two hours until my mom got out of quarantine, so me and my sister -- I just went and saw my sister and we were just waiting outside of the hotel, honestly, waiting for my mom to get out. But I went back -- we got out pretty late, so we went to the hotel, I mean to the apartment that we booked for the next three weeks and just stayed there.

Q. Is there anything that you sort of typically love to do when you first get, when you come home to Australia?

ALEXI POPYRIN: Just see my sister. I think when I don't see her for a year, which happens every year, basically, so I see her every Aussie Open, I just want to spend as much time with her as possible, especially now. But, no, yeah, I just love to spend time with my sister whenever I'm back.

Q. On this series the Melbourne Summer Series we have had some great results for our Aussie players. Does that spur you along?

ALEXI POPYRIN: Definitely. I think it's always great to see Australians doing really well. Bolty won today, so he's in third round also and that's great to see. It's just great to see the Aussies doing well. It always gives us extra motivation, always gives us extra belief that we can go on and do the same things and it's been a great week so far for the Aussies.

Q. In your next match you'll play either Grigor or Andrew Harris. Talk us through either of those.

ALEXI POPYRIN: It will be a tough match no matter who wins that match, no matter who I play. I think the favorite is Dimitrov, but obviously Harris playing at home, he's going to have his advantages too. So you never know who you're going to play. I'm just going to go back home, relax, maybe watch the match or make my coach watch the match and then I'll prepare for tomorrow or the next day, whenever I play.

Q. If it is Andrew, if it is sort of an all-Australian match with Andrew does that change anything for you?

ALEXI POPYRIN: No, I think it's the same. We're competitors, no matter if you're from the same country or not. Obviously's good mate we're playing doubles this week and we're going to play doubles in Aussie Open, so it's going to be interesting if he wins but we're competitors at the end of the day and we all want to win.