AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2023

Alexei Popyrin

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Alexei, I feel like you always have some special moments here at the Australian Open. Tell me how excited you are to be coming back to play again.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Oh, very excited. For me, this is my favorite tournament of the year. With the home crowd, the atmosphere that I play with, especially the last two years, I think Show Court 3, that court there, the atmosphere on that court is really amazing. I've played three five-setters in two years on that court. For me it's an amazing court.

I'm lucky to be back here, yeah, competing again, trying to get that crowd going again.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. On that home crowd, obviously we're going to have full crowds back for the first time for a couple of years. How much does that give you, not an edge, but that drive, that encouragement behind you?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I think it gives every Australian that drive, that extra motivation to get out there on court and give your all.

I go out every match I play and try to give everything. But with that Aussie crowd behind you, just gives you that extra adrenaline, that extra push when things are tough in the match to really step on it and try to get it together and win that match.

But they're always behind you. They're probably the best crowd in tennis, in the Australian Open. For me, it's amazing to come back and play.

Q. Connected to that, could you give us a sense of how big a deal tennis in general and this tournament in particular are to Australians, a sense of what it might mean for this country if an Australian man were to win the title for the first time in a while?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Wow, I think it would mean a lot. We've got such a deep, deep roster in Australian men's tennis right now. We've got a lot of high-quality players. Tennis in Australia - I can only speak from my personal view - is that it's really big. I think it's one of the biggest sports in Australia.

For me, growing up, watching the AO, watching different players win it, watching Lleyton play and try to go deep there, is really big.

If one Aussie player wins it, I think it will be a massive, massive boost for the country in terms of tennis, in terms of sport. Hopefully that person will be me, but... We'll just have to wait and see (smiling).

Q. What do you know about your first-round opponent? Have you had a peek ahead to a potential second round with Taylor Fritz?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Well, you just told me that I have second round Taylor Fritz (smiling).

Look, I played Jason in US Open first round also. I beat him there. But I know it won't be easy. He's really solid from the baseline. He's got one of the best groundstrokes I think on tour. Doesn't miss much from the baseline.

It's going to be a tough battle. It's going to be 36 degrees out there on Tuesday. It's going to be hot, too. He's really fit. I've known him since he's been 16, 17 years old. We've practice together so many times.

He's a nice guy. When we step out there it's going to be a battle. I'm going to push it to the end, and hopefully I can get the job done.

Q. You said, Oh, Taylor Fritz, second round. Do you ever look at all beyond whatever the next match is for you, either here or at any tournament?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I used to. I used to look ahead. I used to look at every kind of step of the draw when the draw came out. I've kind of stopped that. I'm trying to take it one match at a time. Just focus on the match ahead, not look forward to the second or third round or fourth round.

It's not the best to look ahead when you haven't even done the first step. For me, that was a learning process. That's something that I've stopped doing. I've stopped looking ahead completely. I'm just taking it one match at a time all the time.

Q. When did you switch that? Why was that? Did a coach, let's say, somebody tell you one at a time?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: No, I think it's just from experience of looking ahead, then losing first round, then being really, really disappointed that I lost first round 'cause I still believe I have the quality to beat top players, to beat anybody out there when I step out there.

It's good to have that confidence, but in my mind I have to back it up also to myself. If I don't do that, I get highly disappointed.

For me, it's just important for me now just to take it one match at a time, especially after the year that I had last year, a tough year, which I was doing that also. I was looking forward in the tournament, seeing who I would play and stuff. You kind of like lose focus when you're playing that first round. It's not cockiness, but it's kind of like a big head where you're looking forward. I don't want to do that any more.

Q. You were speaking at Kooyong the other day as well about your last 12 months, how difficult that was. Can you give us some insight into the ups and downs of that? Also at Kooyong you matched it with Taylor Fritz for a set. Do you feel like you're gaining some of your best form now as well?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Last year, I don't think I had any ups at all. It was all downs (smiling).

Yeah, last year, like I said in many interviews, last year for me was a big, big learning curve. It was an experience that I never expected that would happen to me, to drop half my ranking backwards. But it's something that happened and something that I have to learn from, which I think I have done.

I've invested heavily in my team in the last few months. We've done some really, really good work.

Look, I'm just looking forward now. I feel like I'm in a really good space right now with my team behind me, with the team I have set up, and the mental space I'm in right now. I have some confidence coming into this AO. At the start of the year it's really important to have that confidence.

Q. Players talk about when you're defending a lot of points how much pressure there is on them, like Kokkinakis. Is there a different kind of pressure when you know you've only won five matches last year, you can see a big opportunity to get the ranking all the way back?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Honestly, no. For me, I don't feel the pressure from there because I know that I don't have any points to defend, so my ranking really can't drop any further than it has already.

But in terms of defending ranking points, I have a lot of pressure. I put a lot of pressure on myself for that. I remember in October the year before last year, October 2021, I was already thinking about the points that I had to defend in February. That's something that I can't do, looking five months ahead and saying to myself, Oh, shit, I've got to defend those points in five months. That's not something I should be doing. I should be focusing on the tournament that I'm playing.

Like I said, that's something I learned from. That's something I probably won't be doing again. Right now I feel no pressure at all coming into this AO, coming into the start of the year. I feel no pressure at all. I feel like I've got a clean slate. I feel like I can play my tennis, I can play freely, and hopefully get my ranking up.

Q. You speak about investing in your team, the mental side of your game. Do you use a sports psychologist?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: No. I don't use sports psychologists, not right now. For me, my team was a little bit out of sorts last year. I stopped with the coach, then I kind of had a few injuries, then didn't really hire a coach, then hired one, then he stopped with me. It was kind of like all over the place last year.

Last October I said, Enough's enough. I started to plan out my team. Hired a coach. Kept my second coach. Got a new fitness coach and a new physio. A team that can be with me when I need them to be with me at all times. That's what I've kind of invested in right now. I've just built that first part of my team.

I told my team if we do need a sports psychologist in the future, then it could be a good time in the future. Right for now, no need for a sports psychologist. I feel like I'm in a really good mindset right now, yeah.

Q. How do you get back into a really good mindset?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Just looking forward, looking into the future, but also investing into the team, investing in the right people that are behind you.

For me, I got Xavier Malisse in my team. He's in my corner right now. He's really helped me a lot in terms of my game, but in terms of the mental side, in terms of trying to stay positive in practice, in terms of staying positive in the match, always positive. He's always sending me like on Instagram those inspirational videos, quotes, trying to keep my head space in a good space.

He's been a great addition to my team, as well as my second coach, Fernando, who will travel with me half the year. He's one of my better friends. Yeah, he'll be helping me a lot.

My fitness coach and my physio is there. They're great, too.

Q. Touching on what you said about Xavier, him keeping you positive all the time, sending you stuff. When you met and you discussed taking him onboard, was that the big thing he noticed about you, that you were too negative?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, well, we started working when I was probably at my lowest. I was outside the top hundred in March, then I got back inside the top hundred. In October I was outside the top hundred again. That for me was a really big problem, that I was outside the top hundred. That was probably the lowest that I've been.

I went into the American swing thinking I could at least win some matches on the ATP Tour. Got into main draw of some 250s and a 500 in Tokyo. I wasn't able to do anything. I wasn't able to even produce good tennis. That was probably my lowest last year.

That's when he came onboard. That was the first thing that he noticed, was the negative mindset, which is understandable considering the year I had.

Also in practice, I was quite negative. I wasn't feeling the ball. I wasn't playing the tennis I know I'm capable of. That was really frustrating. Even though I was trying to do everything I possibly can to get there, to get to that top level that I'm able to produce, I just wasn't able to.

He started off with the positive mindset, trying to just, yeah, motivate me to continue pushing, continue training. That's what we've done. The start of the year has shown that it's already going in a good direction.