- Alexei Popyrin won Canadian Open in August
- Beat five top-20 players on route to the title
- Seeded 25th at the 2025 Australian Open
Aussie Alexei Popyrin has revealed how his head-turning title win in Montreal catapulted him into the world top 25 for the first time – but also saw him avoid slipping into the tennis wilderness.
Popyrin, 25, is seeded 25th at Melbourne Park after his ATP ranking surged from 62 to 23 in August last year when he became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 to win an ATP Masters event.
The Sydney raised star then stunned Novak Djokovic at the US Open to reach the fourth round, but Montreal was his sliding doors moment.
After reaching the quarter-finals at the Cincinnati Open in 2023, Popyrin risked sliding back to around 90 in the world as he had significant rankings points to defend.
Upsetting five top-20 players to win the Canadian Open ensured the points he lost at the subsequent Cincinnati tournament didn’t really matter.
‘I keep saying Montreal was a huge tournament, not only because it was a Masters 1000 and I won it but because if I hadn’t won a match in Montreal and Cincinnati, I would have been ranked 90 in the world,’ Popyrin told reporters in Melbourne.
Alexei Popyrin has revealed how his head-turning title win in Montreal saw him avoid slipping into the tennis wilderness (pictured, with his partner Amy)
Popyrin, 25, is seeded 25th at Melbourne Park after his ATP ranking surged from 62 to 23 in August last year when he became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 to win an ATP Masters event
Popyrin beat five top-20 players to win the Canadian Open in stunning fashion (pictured)
‘That is the kind of pressure you play with in your head….the mentality that you try and have is to put that away and just focus on the present – we [his team] did that really well.
‘I think the top guys, when they find that sort of ‘click’ and they find that confidence … they just continue with it for the rest of their career.
‘I think that’s something that I’ve got to try to stick with me….I’ve got to do it more consistently.’
Popyrin will face French world No.69 Corentin Moutet in the first round at the Open.
He won their only previous meeting in three sets at Monte Carlo last year.
Next could be a second-round clash with another local crowd favourite, Rinky Hijikata.
Popyrin is eager to return to the raucous John Cain Arena, a court where the crowd ‘brought him to tears’ in the 2023 second round when he claimed a shock five-set victory over Taylor Fritz.
Popyrin will face French world No.69 Corentin Moutet in the first round at Melbourne Park
The win against the American star helped him put behind a horror 2022 after Popyrin’s ranking strayed into the 130s.
He even required a wildcard from tournament organisers to play in the grand slam.
‘I experienced (the crowd) against Fritz a few years ago. That was just unbelievable… it’s a memory that will live with me forever,’ he said.
‘That is definitely what brings the best out of me, is trying to put on a show for the home crowd.
‘We don’t get much opportunities to do that. That’s just extra motivation for me to go out there and try to put on a show for them and make them proud.’
