Australian Open Tuesday, 9 February 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Alexei Popyrin Press Conference

come on, Popy, you can do this. All of it kept me fighting, A. POPYRIN/D. Goffin kept me in there, and I wouldn't have won without them there. They were incredible. 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 Q. You obviously enjoy playing at the Open. I think THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. you've made the third round the last two years. Have you set yourself a little goal this year to eclipse that? Q. Just a fantastic performance; something like that must fill you with a lot of confidence. ALEXEI POPYRIN: I think I'm going to take it one match at a time as I always do. I wasn't really thinking anything ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it definitely past the first round, to have a player like David in the first does. I think I was like -- I was near the brink of losing, round is not an easy job. But no, I'm just going to focus so I think when coming back from match points, it really on my second round. Hopefully I can get past that, and gives you confidence for the upcoming rounds, and also hopefully it's going to be the same mentality there on out. the way I played was really pleasing to me. All the That's the goal with my team. I think always doing one preseason work that I did physically and on my game, step better than I did last year would always be a plus for you know, it all paid off today. me. But like I said, I'm only going to take it one match at a time. Q. Were you on the brink physically at times, as well? You looked absolutely exhausted at the end. Q. Down two sets to one, down four match points, down a break in the fifth, it's pretty remarkable. At ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, in the fourth set I kind of felt those various stages what were you saying to my legs a little bit. That's why I called the physio out. He yourself to get out of those holes? rubbed me with some hot cream. Yeah, but I think also it was a little bit mental. You know, going down a break in ALEXEI POPYRIN: I was telling myself, you know, just that fourth set, I kind of like -- I didn't think it was over, take it one point at a time. Last week in the lead-up but it kind of was like, oh, yeah. I was kind of like on the tournament, I saved six match points in the first round edge of it. and then saved some match points against Grigor in the second set in the third round and won that second set. I But I managed to stay in. I managed to dig deep, and knew that I was able to do it, just to do it for three out of yeah, came out on top. four matches to start the year is kind of stressing a little bit (laughing). Hopefully I can ease the matches up Q. Where does that rank sort of in your career wins? throughout the year. But no, I think it just shows that the Is that right at the top? work I did in preseason, the mentality that I've taken on this year is all paying off, and my game is improving, and ALEXEI POPYRIN: Number one. That was number one I can feel that. by far. Yeah, especially against who I played, a top-20 player, top-10 player by level, and also to save match Q. You look pretty calm on the exterior. Are you points against him and beat him in five sets when he's churning inside? Or are you pretty calm? known as like probably one of the fittest guys on tour. To beat him in five sets was really pleasing. ALEXEI POPYRIN: No, I was pretty calm. You know, after last year I kind of decided that's it, I'm going to Q. You take away the crowd from that match, how do change my mentality on court. I'm not going to bother you think the result might have panned out? about -- not worry about if I lose matches, if I win matches. I'm just going to go out there, fight, and just ALEXEI POPYRIN: The same (laughing). No, the crowd give it my all. A lot of it, especially last year towards the were unbelievable. They helped me. They helped me end of last year, I was kind of really nervous every time I out so much, especially in that fourth set. I was near the got out on court, just really wanting to win to start end and kept hearing, up, Alexei, head up, Alexei, something going, and this year in preseason I told

104481-1-1044 2021-02-09 08:21:00 GMT Page 1 of 2 myself, I told my team that look, I'm going to change my mentality here. I'm going to go out there, I'm going to keep calm no matter what happens. And yeah, I think it's really paying off.

Q. Bouncing back in two days' time, can you talk about the challenge that represents, and also your opponent ?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: I have no clue. This is the first time I've actually won a five-set match, but I can tell you the last time I lost a five-set match in the third round, I couldn't walk for two days. Hopefully I'll be a bit better. Tomorrow I've got dubs tomorrow with Andrew, so I'm going to look forward to that, do everything I possibly can to recover my legs for tomorrow and for Thursday.

Q. Have you come across Lloyd Harris before?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: Yeah, I played him once in Miami quallies and once last year, . He won both times, so I know it's going to be a very difficult match for me. But I'm a different player. I'm a different player. I'm different mentally. I'm different with my game. It's definitely going to be really, really tough. I'm not taking it easy one bit, so it's going to be a really tough match, and hopefully I can perform the way I did today with less match points.

Q. Just wondering, you've mentioned a couple of times about the work you've put it in the off-season. What parts of your game did you actually concentrate on in that time?

ALEXEI POPYRIN: A lot of it was very physical, a lot of cardio, a lot of strength. Mostly cardio.

You know, I kind of felt that last year I was not in the fittest place, especially after lockdown. I wasn't -- it was tough to really work out during lockdown, and I gained a few kilos. I kind of lost all my physicality that I had.

All the work that we had, especially the first four weeks of preseason, was to focus on my cardio and the way I feel on court in longer durations, and then of course there's the technical aspects that we worked a lot with with my coach, a lot of the running forehands, a lot of the backhands, a lot on the serve, and honestly, it's all paying off right now. I feel great.

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