AFTER THE GOLD rush of the Olympics, Aussie sporting fans haven’t had to wait long for more reasons to cheer, with rising Aussie tennis star Alexei Popyrin taking out the Canadian Open overnight.
The 25-year-old defeated Russian world no.6 Andrey Rublev, 6-2, 6-4, becoming the first Australian to win an ATP Masters 1000 title since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.
Popyrin’s path to the final was an arduous one – Rublev was the fourth seeded opponent Popyrin has defeated to claim the title, after previously beating Hubert Hurkacz, Grigor Dimitrov and Ben Shelton.
Popyrin was ranked 30 going into the match, and has now beaten five top-20 opponents in succession, helping push him to the brink of the top 20, behind compatriot Alex de Minaur, who’s ranked 10.
The win is also good news for Popyrin’s bank account, which received an injection of $US1,049,460 ($1.6m AUD).
“It means so much, it means the world,” Popyrin said after his victory. “All the hard work that I’ve put in over the last few years, [and] all the sacrifices I’ve made – not just me, but my family, my girlfriend, my team, everybody around me. They’ve just sacrificed their whole lives for me, and for me to win this for them is just amazing.”
Alexei Popyrin at Wimbledon I @alexeipopyrin
Who is Alexei Popyrin?
Popyrin was born in Sydney to Russian parents. At 8, Popyrin and his family moved to Dubai for two years, before moving to Alicante in Spain, where fellow Australian Alex de Minaur was his neighbour.
After turning pro in 2016 aged 16, in 2019 Popyrin began to make his presence felt on the ATP tour, making the second round or beyond in all four Grand Slams, including the third round at Wimbledon and the US Open. He won his first ATP title at the Singapore Open in 2021.
This year is proving to be a banner one for Popyrin, who made the third round of the Paris Olympics, beating Nicolás Jarry and Stan Wawrinka, before losing to former Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.
Popyrin’s victory at the Canadian Open catapults him to no.24 in the ATP rankings.
How does Alexei Popyrin train?
According to Tennis Australia, Popyrin likes to practise playing points. “Any drill that we do, we try to implement a points structure to it,” he says. “That way I subconsciously raise my level and intensity.”
Popyrin generally trains at 10 or 11am and if he’s doing two-a-days, again at 3-4pm. Not a huge fan of cardio, Popyrin has turned a potential weakness into a strength, conscious a strong endurance base is essential to his ability to progress to the second week of grand slams.
What are Alexei Popyrin’s strengths?
At 196cm, Popyrin has a booming serve, backed up by heavy groundstrokes. He moves well for a big man, his long reach allowing him to run down drop shots or cover lobs. The 25-year-old has also been praised for his even temperament, with frequent Federer comparisons – always nice.
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