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Writer's pictureVal Febbo

WHAT DOES POPYRIN'S MONTREAL WIN MEAN?



The Australian tennis community collectively rejoiced after Alexei Popyrin’s unlikely run to the Montreal title, an accolade 21 years in the making.

 

Since Lleyton Hewitt’s 2003 Indian Wells title, only Hewitt himself, Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur had enjoyed campaigns to the deciders of tennis’ biggest events outside majors.

 

However, the 25-year-old Popyrin was able to buck the trend and end the agonising wait for an Australian to hoist one of these coveted trophies.

 

But just how big was the title for him?

 

The answer is huge.

 

Starting on home shores, it diverts some of the focus to himself and away from some of the other stars of the sport, which can only be good in terms of endorsements and the ability to be a marquee player at most of the tournaments held in Australia’s summer of tennis.

 

He has already had some form of notoriety thanks to some glorious wins at Melbourne Park over the years, but next year will be entirely different because there will almost certainly be a seeding attached to his name when the Australian Open draw is released.

 

Popyrin will gain his first experience as a seeded player at a Slam next week as the US Open commences, a huge feather in the cap of someone with genuine weapons and an ability to test some of the best players on the planet.

 

One only needs to rewind to his two matchups against Novak Djokovic in 2024, troubling the 24-time major champion at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and narrowly missing out on opportunities to force fifth sets in both contests.

 

He will possibly get another chance at the upcoming US Open, where he could face the World No.2 in the third round.

 

Knowing home crowds in this country, they get behind their own, so you can expect any arena that Alexei plays in to be heaving with pulsating energy that will only fire him up, he thrives in these atmospheres and you can bet that his tennis will electrify patrons in attendance, it is only a recipe for success.

 

A Masters 1000 crown is a rarity, in fact players like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin del Potro, David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych all only managed a solitary gong in this category, so it gives Popyrin a significant aura in any given draw.

 

Not to mention he will be a promoter’s dream, and we can certainly expect an abundance of commercials on Channel 9 in the lead up to the Australian Open to drive ratings and eyeballs on his matches.

 

The most important thing for the 25-year-old after Montreal is his confidence, and it would be sky high at the moment.

 

His remarkable wins against Olympic gold medallist Thomas Machac, former World No.3 Grigor Dimitrov, American firebrand Ben Shelton and top 10 stars in Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev will have him breathing fire in the lead up to the final Grand Slam of the year at Flushing Meadows.

 

Most players need one tournament to catapult them into the top echelon and this may very well have been that for Popyrin, who can genuinely cause problems for most on tour, something he established in spades in Canada.

 

The reassurance and surety that he will have gained from the scintillating week will no doubt have him in fine condition on the fast courts of New York, where he has already enjoyed elements of success, having made the third round on two previous occasions.

 

But what is even more important is that there will be an element of fear in his foes when they face him, because now they are even more aware that Popyrin is in fact the real deal and has what it takes to reach the lofty heights expected of him when he clinched the Roland Garros junior title in his youth.

 

The next few months are huge for the Sydney born star, and should he capitalise on his form, 2025 could be a glorious year for him and Australian men’s tennis.

 

He has the game, and now he has the belief, a dangerous combination for the ATP Tour.

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