Alexei Popyrin couldn’t wait to draw a line through his 2025 season, keen to sever the shackles from a tumultuous year after touching down for his upcoming Brisbane International campaign.
A year ago, the Aussie No.2 was poised for a big summer on home soil, riding high from his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Montreal and an inspired Novak Djokovic-felling run to the fourth round at the US Open in 2024.
His engagement to girlfriend Amy Pederick capped a whirlwind six months heading into last season before injuries, indifferent form and the upheaval of parting with long-term coach Xavier Malisse compounded his struggles being on the road for long periods.
Free of the back injury that had ruled him out for two months and with a renewed outlook following a lengthier off-season at his base in Dubai – his longest since the Covid years – he returned ready for a fresh start, his reserves replenished physically and mentally.
“I’m lucky that part of my family lives in Dubai also. I was able to get some of my fiancée’s family over for Christmas, which was really nice,” Popyrin said. “It was just great spending some time at home. I feel completely different to how I felt coming into Brisbane last year. I feel more refreshed, I feel positive, I feel excited for the new year and that’s a really good feeling to have.”
Only six hours after he went to bed following the 14-hour flight to Brisbane, Popyrin was on court training at the Queensland Tennis Centre on Tuesday, a glimpse at his motivation to resurrect his ranking and a means to help shake the jetlag sooner.
While he cracked the top 20 for the first time following his quarterfinal appearance in Toronto last August, Popyrin ended the year at world No.54.
“I think as long as my mind’s up to it then I feel like I’ve got the level to be where I want to be, but it’s important for me to get my mind there and I feel like pre-season has gone unbelievably well,” he said. “The way I’ve come into this week feels great. Hopefully I can continue that for the rest of the year.”
The lowest point came following a Wimbledon boilover in June – an upset to 461st-ranked Arthur Fery at the first hurdle.
Immediate change was imperative if he was to stop the rot and after the season had culminated, the team reconvened and reflected. Popyrin made his requests for the future clear.
“I think it started off at Wimbledon. I went through a little bit of a down patch there,” he said. “Took my mind off things for a couple of weeks and then came back feeling good but got injured after that … When I came back from injury, I wasn’t quite enjoying travelling.
“I kind of wanted to stay at home and had to push myself to go out there and travel. I spoke to my team after the season finished and I was like, ‘Next year, I want to do things a little bit differently’. I just want to enjoy my time travelling, do some stuff off the court that I enjoy doing more often and then focus when I’m on site.”
There had been a shift in his mindset, a concerted move to enjoy his time more on and off the court amid the rigours of travel, training and competing.
“It’s not easy. I think travelling with family, being able to spend time with family more often [helps],” he said. “I don’t think tennis players get to see families as often as they want to. I’m lucky that I’ve got my sister and her children here. They actually landed this morning so I’m excited to see them. I haven’t seen them for a full year …
“I’m feeling really good. I think this’ll be the last time that I’ll talk about last year and from now on I just want to look forward to the years to come. I just want to forget about last year and just look forward to this year and just try and get that new mindset going.”
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