US OPEN

August 31, 2024

Alexei Popyrin

Press Conference

A. POPYRIN/N. Djokovic

6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Tremendous win. Great shot making. Big serves. Assess your performance for us tonight.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, it was a pretty solid performance from my side. Yeah, honestly, I said before the match that the last two matches that I had, I didn't take my chances, and today I managed to take my chances.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Of all the matches you have played in your career, how would you compare the way you played this evening against everything else?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I would say level-wise it probably wasn't, like, the highest level, you know, I think because I have had some matches where I have played and, you know, I felt way better than I felt out there today. I think the way I composed myself and the way I tactically played the match, that was up there with one of the best matches that I have played.

But the level, yeah, it was high, but it wasn't... Honestly, like, I have had matches where I have won 1-1, and I've have played a match where I've hit 50 winners and 50 unforced errors. It was kind of like that.

Q. Yeah, there were some amazing passing shots in that match, later on you hitting some great winners and Novak hitting some winners. Crowd really, really getting into it. What was going through your mind at that moment? Under the lights, late night on Arthur Ashe, incredible atmosphere. Tell us what was going through your mind when you were hitting some of those winners?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, it was amazing. I stepped out on Arthur Ashe about 20 minutes before the actual match and that was the first time I have ever been on Arthur Ashe, just to kind of get a gauge of how the stadium looked and how big it was.

Yeah, and honestly the crowd was amazing. They kind of stepped up. When I hit those passing shots, it was quite amazing to feel the crowd on my side. I managed to kind of win them over towards the end of the match, which was amazing, also.

Q. What is going through your mind, because when you're playing Novak, who is clearly not having a great night, partly because you're playing really well, but also he's just hitting a lot of double faults, things like that, but at the same time, you're looking at a player who has won 24 Grand Slam titles who has come back so many times from two sets down, how are you sort of squaring those things and staying calm and thinking your way through to the finish line?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, honestly, all of the things that you mention were in my head. You know, he wasn't playing his best tennis. I was waiting for him to kind of step up. I felt like he did in the third set. But my level went down. I didn't make too many first serves.

Yeah, and also there is countless times when he's come back from two sets to love down, and I didn't want to be one of those moments where Novak kind of stepped up and came back from two sets to love down. That was going through my head.

It was kind of extra motivation for me not to do that and to win that fourth set. Kind of had to pump myself up, swear at myself a few times to kind of, yeah, to kind of get back into the mood of winning.

I managed to do that, and that was amazing.

Q. What time do you reckon you'll get to bed tonight? Adrenaline and recovery...

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I just did an ice bath like literally two minutes ago. I'm a bit cold right now (smiling).

I struggle to sleep after matches like this. I tend to go down probably four, four or five hours after the match. So probably 4:00, 4:30 I'll probably be asleep.

Q. What's the plan for the recovery?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I'll sleep in as long as I can. So far this week I have been waking up quite early. Hopefully I can sleep in a little bit. Then, yeah, we'll do some kind of recovery. Honestly, I think we'll do some fitness in the morning and than go on the court for half an hour and then do some more recovery. So yeah.

Q. Have you ever come anywhere near experiencing the emotions you felt on that match point before? Has it totally sunk in yet?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: For me, winning Montreal was way bigger than today, just because it's a title, and it's a Masters 1000 title. That felt unbelievable.

Today was something that I kind of thought I could do, you know? Winning a Masters 1000 was not something that, you know, kind of crossed my head.

But my two experiences against him earlier this year in Australian Open and Wimbledon kind of gave me the confidence to go out there tonight and believe that I could win and actually do it and believe it.

So when I did it, it kind of felt that kind of proved me right, proved what I was thinking right. Yeah, it wasn't something that, you know, was unbelievable like Montreal, for example.

Q. Did it sort of feel like a situation, this is just one step, the job hasn't been completed as yet?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, for sure. Like I said in Montreal, for me the biggest part about Montreal was I was able to back up big wins. For me, that's something that I have really had to work on.

I've had the capability of winning a big match but not being able to back it up. This week and Montreal I was able to do that. Hopefully I can continue it this week because this is probably the biggest win of my career so far ranking-wise. Yeah, hopefully I can back that up.

Q. Did you follow the Botic-Carlos match last night? What were your thoughts when you saw that result?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I was asleep at 10:30 so I actually didn't see any of the match. Yeah, I woke up this morning and showed my girlfriend straightaway in shock. It was crazy.

Results like that happen. I thought to myself, why not me today? So yeah...

Q. You next play Frances Tiafoe, somebody you haven't played before. From what you know of his game, what you have seen, how would you describe him and the matchup between the two of you?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, he's actually a really good friend of mine. We get along really well off the court. It will be interesting to play against him. We have practiced a bunch of times.

Yeah, he's a very tricky player. Probably has one of the best hands on tour, comes into the net a lot, likes to mix it up. That's going to be the tough part.

I'm just going to have to kind of, you know, play my game, serve well. Today I felt like I didn't really serve that well, considering, you know, the percentages and stuff. For me, I've got to have to improve on that.

But honestly, playing Frances will be quite an experience because there has been a few times where I have kind of lost the round before having to play Frances, and he's always telling me, Man, why do you keep losing before we play each other (laughter)?

Yeah, luckily this time I was able to do it and hopefully it will be a good match.

Q. With Alcaraz and Djokovic out, how would you describe the opportunity you and others have?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: For me, I'm not thinking that far. You know, I'm going to give you the cliché answer I always give: It's always the next match for me. I focus on the next match and that's it.

My focus is on Frances. If I get past that, then we'll focus on the next one.

Q. Can we say that the winning week in Montreal has changed at all regarding your game, your confidence, and the mental part?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, definitely. It's given me a lot of confidence. I said earlier this week that for me the most important part was to take that confidence from Montreal and bring it into this week, but not only this week but hopefully for years to come.

All these top-10 players, top-5 players, they play on this confidence all the time, and they steadily build on it. That's kind of what I want to do, and hopefully I can.

Q. You have touched a lot on the fact you have that real belief you could beat Novak after meeting him twice in Grand Slams. Is that something that's always been there or has it built up over the last few months or years?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I think in my past I have always had the one-off result of beating a top player. I think the last two matches against Novak really gave me the confidence to come out here today and win.

It's something that I believed that I have the game to be able to beat these top players. For me to be able to do it and back it up is a big thing for me.

Q. Do stats mean anything to you? In case you haven't heard, you're only the second Australian to beat Djokovic at a major, and the last one was Hewitt in 2006. Do those sort of things mean anything to you?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah.

Q. Just the fifth Australian to beat him.

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, for sure. I think, you know, to be mentioned in the same name as Lleyton, one of our greats, is always unbelievable.

But yeah, it's a great feeling. I think I was the first Aussie to win a Masters 1000 since Lleyton also, so that's also a great feeling (smiling).

Hopefully I can continue that trend and do some more things that Lleyton has done in the past.