Tennis News

Michelsen's free-swinging plan against Sinner: 'I've got nothing to lose'

At 5 a.m. in California on the day of the Australian Open final, Alex Michelsen was awake because of jet lag following his own trip to Australia — he made the third round at the year’s first major.

The #NextGenATP American was able to catch the end of the memorable clash between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, in which Sinner rallied from two sets down to claim his first major trophy.

“The level he got in the fifth set of his first Grand Slam final, that was pretty epic,” Michelsen told ATPTour.com.

After defeating Tallon Griekspoor in three sets Tuesday, the 19-year-old Michelsen will play Sinner for the first time in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday.

“It’ll be a lot of fun. I’ve got nothing to lose,” Michelsen said. “I’m going to go out there and try my best to swing free and have fun, and we’ll see what happens.”

The American has never practised with his Italian counterpart. “Maybe that’ll help me a little bit. [He] has never seen my ball,” he said. “I’m sure I know a lot more about him than he does about me. So I think maybe that’ll help me as well.”

The first time Michelsen heard of Sinner was during the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. The Italian, the lowest-ranked player in the field, lifted the trophy in Milan.

“He won Next Gen and I was like, ‘Oh, this guy hits the absolute crap out of all’,” Michelsen said. “I was like, ‘Okay,’. I’m sure he’ll do the same thing against me, just hit the crap out of it.”

The No. 57 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is just two spots off his career-high mark. He has played two matches against Top 10 opponents, going 1-1, including a win against then-World No. 9 Alex de Minaur in Los Cabos.

But the American also knows he will face a difficult test against Sinner. Michelsen watches plenty of tennis on television and knows how well the Italian has performed this season, especially compared to early in his career.

“I don’t think his game has changed that much. I think he’s gotten a lot stronger and a lot faster and a lot fitter,” Michelsen said. “But for me, I don’t think his game has changed that much. I think he’s changed some things. His serve got better, and maybe his forehand got a little better, but the way he plays stayed the same.”

The home favourite’s clash with the top seed will take place on centre court. It is an opportunity Michelsen is looking forward to.

“I love it. I’m honestly happy either way,” Michelsen said. “You can put me Court 25 in the trenches, I’m happy. You put me on centre court, I’m even happier. So it’ll be fun. Hopefully they’ll root for me because I’m American.”

The teen explained that because this is the first Top 5 opponent Michelsen is facing, it stands out as the biggest match he has played so far early in his career.

“I played Zverev on Rod Laver when he was sixth in the world, and I’m playing the World No. 1,” Michelsen said. “I’ve never played anyone Top 5, so it’ll be a new experience, that’s for sure.”

The energetic Californian has enjoyed the support he has received throughout the North-American summer. When he broke through last season, “no one really knew who I was”. Michelsen is “really happy” that the fans have responded well to him in 2024.

The teen is happy to be making his debut in Cincinnati and is especially pleased that the event is staged in Mason. He prefers staying away from big cities.

The man he faces on Wednesday, Sinner, is a fellow Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF alumnus. In second place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Michelsen is trying to qualify for the second year in a row. Two former champions (Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz) are in the Top 3 of the PIF ATP Rankings today.

“Both those guys won [the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF]. It’s very motivating. If I could win the tournament, put my name up with theirs, that would be great. But that’s not easy to do, winning a tournament is never easy,” Michelsen said. “So we’ll see, but I think just being a part of the Next Gen programme is really good for my confidence too.”

No matter the result of Michelsen’s showdown with Sinner, there is no doubt about the type of effort the American will give.

“I’m going to go out there and I’m going to compete my a** off every opportunity I get,” Michelsen said. “I’m never going to give up, and I pride myself on competing.”

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Lehecka's 'amazing feeling' after return from back injury

Jiri Lehecka’s victory on Tuesday at the Cincinnati Open was more meaningful than the other 17 wins he has earned this season. The Czech’s clash with Mariano Navone was his first match since early May when he retired from the Mutua Madrid Open semi-finals against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Lehecka told ATPTour.com. “The most important thing was just to feel healthy again and not to feel any pain, which I must say happened today. I was totally pain free. I felt good on court physically, which was the most important thing for me, and the fact that I won was just a bonus.”

After Madrid, Lehecka’s medical team discovered a stress fracture in his vertebra. It was a devastating blow for a player at the top of his game in a position to push for the biggest title of his career.

“I was struggling with my back since the beginning of the clay season. So basically it got worse and worse during the whole Madrid tournament. I kind of thought that it was okay, because I pulled out of Monaco, I pulled out of Barcelona these two weeks. I didn’t play at all. I was just doing some rehab and stuff,” Lehecka said. “All the signals and scans showed us that the back was all right and that I was ready to go and it was alright.

“I felt good, but during my first match in Madrid, I started to feel again pain in that area. It was getting worse and worse during the whole tournament, and unfortunately, it ended in my semi-final match against Felix.”

This year’s Adelaide champion did not touch a racquet again for more than two months. From being two wins away from an ATP Masters 1000 title to sitting home every day was a difficult transition.

“This kind of injury is bad in a way that you cannot do anything. You just need to lay down. You can just walk a bit. You are restricted from all the normal movements you are used to doing,” Lehecka said. “Having a racquet in my hand was not an option for me. To have a simple run or to go to the gym was not an option. All these things I was not able to do, so it wasn’t easy for me, also mentally, because I’m a very active person.

“I enjoy my time doing some activities, doing other sports and stuff. So it wasn’t easy, but I managed to get through it.”

On the positive side, Lehecka was able to spend time with friends and family at home he never usually has the ability to see because he is traveling the world. The Czech would stay at friends’ homes and vice versa. “That was fun,” Lehecka said. “But at the same time, day by day, I was very eager to go back on court.”

One of the trickiest parts of the Czech’s time away is that he was not in constant pain. But the threat of aggravating his injury loomed large.

“In my normal life outside of the tennis court, I was able to do anything I wanted. I was always saying, ‘Guys, I can go to gym, I can go to run, I don’t feel any pain’,” Lehecka said. “Everyone was [saying], ‘No, no, you cannot do it’. What the doctors told me is, ‘Be careful, this injury is a b****’ in terms of, you will feel that there is nothing happening, but at the same time, you need to give it so much time to recover well and to rest the spot.”

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/13/22/22/lehecka-cincinnati-2024-tuesday-backhand.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Jiri Lehecka” />
^{Photo: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour}
While away, Lehecka got a tattoo of two intertwining lines covering much of his right arm. It was something he had wanted since well before his injury.

“That’s the kind of tattoo I like. It doesn’t really have any meaning,” Lehecka said. “But I always like to say that these two lines are like my social life, with family, friends, also with the life on Tour, tennis, coaches and everyone connecting together, being stronger together.”

A member of his team, former World No. 4 Tomas Berdych, provided helpful advice to keep Lehecka focused. “Tomas Berdych told me, ‘Don’t rush, don’t rush. You will have plenty of tennis very, very soon. So make some spot in your mind for it. Don’t overwhelm yourself with the tennis when you are not on court’,” he recalled.

Lehecka returned to the tennis court for the first time on 7 July, a date he still has noted on his phone calendar.

“I remember it was like a 10, 15-minute hit with my coach [Michal Navratil]. We were just basically smiling at each other, looking at each other, saying how terrible it was,” Lehecka said, cracking a smile. “That was normal after such a long time of doing nothing. It wasn’t easy, but step by step, we got back to the level we wanted to and I still feel like I’m improving day by day.”

Now Lehecka is back and excited to push forward. He will play former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the Cincinnati second round.

“For me, the most important thing is now to to feel better every day, to feel good on court, to feel confident and to gain some confidence with all these matches that are ahead of me,” Lehecka said. “So that’s my goal. And of course, to be healthy and to play pain free. That’s the number-one goal. And then, of course, we will see.”

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Former Challenger ballkid Dzumhur revamping career at that level: 'I'm not done yet'

Damir Dzumhur was a perennial Top 100 player in the PIF ATP Rankings from 2015-2020. He reached as high as World No. 23 and claimed three tour-level trophies in a two-year span. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and put the Tour on pause, Dzumhur would not have guessed he would need to wait four years to return to the Top 100.

“At the time, it’s not easy to accept it,” Dzumhur told ATPTour.com. “Knowing that you’ve been in the Top 100 for almost six years, playing at the highest level tournaments, playing the Grand Slams and then suddenly you are not there, you have to play in qualies, you have to play more Challengers. [You think], ‘I’m going to get back,’ but it’s not that easy. Then certain things are happening, you can’t perform at your best level, you’re not there and it’s not easy to accept it.”

The 32-year-old, who hails from Bosnia-Herzegovina, has quietly been climbing on the ATP Challenger Tour, the circuit on which he has claimed three titles this year: Barletta, Italy; Ostrava, Czech Republic; Zagreb, Croatia.

Never give up 💪

Damir Dzumhur comes back from 1-5 down in the third set to beat Squire 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 and claim the title in Ostrava!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/QJc5RS2URt

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) April 28, 2024

One of six players to win a trio of Challenger titles this season, it was that level that first exposed Dzumhur to pro tennis when he was nine.

Dzumhur grew up volunteering as a ballkid at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Sarajevo, his birth city. In 2003, the first year of the tournament, Dzumhur was retrieving balls for a 16-year-old Richard Gasquet, who went on to win the tournament in record-breaking fashion. To this day, Gasquet is etched in Challenger history as the youngest player to win multiple titles at that level. The Frenchman won in Montauban the year prior.

“I was like, ‘Wow! Me winning a Challenger in seven years? That’s not easy!’” Dzumhur said with a laugh. “But it was good to see that.”

Ironically, Dzumhur and Gasquet have played each other four times across all levels, including this year in the Manama Challenger semi-finals. “Once when we were practising, I told him, ‘Do you know that I was a ballboy to you in Sarajevo?’” he recalled.

Dzumhur saw several other young stars before they became household names and climbed inside the Top 10, including Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Ernests Gulbis and Janko Tipsarevic.

Dick Norman, who reached the Top 10 in doubles, hit with Dzumhur in 2003, the same year the Belgian reached the final and lost to Gasquet.

“I had a chance to hit for the first time with a professional player — a player that was Top 100 — I got my chance to ask if I could hit a few balls with him. He was so kind, so we did,” Dzumhur said. “That time when I was a ballkid was definitely the best time of the year for me. Because you could see some of the best players.

“It was a happy time for us kids. I really appreciate that I had the chance to do it. It’s a dream of every tennis player when you are young to meet other tennis players who are professionals.”

Now Dzumhur has built a 12-year and counting professional career of his own. And after a difficult four-year stretch, he climbed back in the Top 100 on Monday for the first time since 10 February 2020.

“At some moments I felt my game was there, but I was just missing part of the puzzle and then there were also some tough moments, especially 2022,” said the World No. 100, who retired in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying this year with a ruptured abdominal oblique muscle.

“I dropped to 260 at one point and there I was thinking, ‘What’s going to be next? Am I going to come back or is it just going to be a struggle?’”

Dzumhur’s career-best stretch came from 2017-2018, when he won ATP 250 titles in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Antalya. The tour veteran is hoping his recent form is just the beginning of a tide change.

“I’m not done yet. This is not where I want to stop. I just want to go step by step,” Dzumhur said. “I’m definitely more motivated [knowing] that I got back to the Top 100. It’s definitely nice to see your name among the Top 100 players.

“At the age of 32, I still feel good. Actually, this is the year that I felt the best in the last few years physically. I don’t think that 32 is old for tennis and I still think that I can prove something in tennis. I’m pretty sure that I can do even more and I can get even better results.”

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Musetti withstands Jarry's 43 winners to advance in Cincy

Paris Olympics’ bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti made a successful transition from clay to hard court Tuesday at the Cincinnati Open when he survived a third-set tie-break to defeat Chilean Nicolas Jarry

World No. 18 Musetti, who has reached five consecutive quarter-finals, including a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals, edged Jarry 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in his first hard-court match since Miami in March.

“I’m really happy to get the win today. I couldn’t find my game in the fast conditions at the beginning,” said Musetti, who won 85 per cent of first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats. “Coming from clay to hard is not the easiest thing to do. But I won two tie-breaks against a great server like Nico, so I’m really proud of the fight.

“It’s been more than three months since I’ve played on hard in Miami, but I’ve made so many results and achievements, so I’m trying to keep this consistency in my work.”

Jarry was valiant in defeat, crushing 25 forehand winners among 43 total winners and saving both break points he faced.

Musetti is 14th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, hoping to make up enough ground between now and the end of the season to join countryman Jannik Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Musetti next faces American Frances Tiafoe. The players are locked at 2-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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Medjedovic on Djokovic vs. Alcaraz: 'Every street was empty'

Serbia’s capital city Belgrade is home to roughly 1.6 million people. Historical landmarks, museums and attractions maintain a steady flow of traffic throughout the city. But Hamad Medjedovic will never forget the way Belgrade was during the Paris Olympics gold-medal match when Novak Djokovic secured his career Golden Slam.

“I remember when he was playing, every street was empty. You could only hear the shouting, the voices of people screaming,” Medjedovic told ATPTour.com at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Cary, North Carolina.

“I think in the past few years, sports-wise, I think this is the biggest result that we’ve had. Everybody was waiting for him to win it. Obviously he did it all, except that one. We were all so happy after he won it.”

Djokovic, who has spent more than eight years as World No. 1 the PIF ATP Rankings, has been instrumental in Medjedovic’s journey to professional tennis. The 37-year-old has offered advice and provided resources to help his countryman, whether it be facilities, coaches or financial assistance.

Medjedovic earned one of his biggest rewards at the end of last season, when he won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which has featured past champions such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. “I think I’m going to remember that week for the rest of my life,” Medjedovic said.

The youngest of four siblings to retired parents, Medjedovic acknowledges that “it will be tough to do anything after Novak”, but he too wants to turn his early success into a storied career that inspires Serbian children to begin playing tennis. Perhaps starting with his nephews and niece, with whom Medjedovic especially enjoys spending time when he is home.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things that I love to do off the court, spending time with them. One sister has three kids, twin boys who are two years old and a girl that is four years old. They watch sometimes when I’m on TV, my sister puts it on,” Medjedovc said. “It’s just so cute seeing the videos after that. I’m melting whenever I see them watching me.”

The four-time ATP Challenger Tour champion suffered a virus at the beginning of the year, keeping him sidelined except for four tournaments in as many months. He has since shown flashes of his best level, pushing Daniil Medvedev to three tight sets in Rome and qualifying for Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.

Medjedovic this week returns to hard courts for the first time since March on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“I think the Challenger Tour is the level that everyone has to go through in order to get to the ATP, the level we are all aiming for. I think the level on the Challenger Tour is pretty scary,” Medjedovic said. “Hopefully I’m going to get to the Top 100 and better so that I can play all the ATP tournaments, but definitely, the Challenger Tour is the key for every player that wants to develop and be a better player.”

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Home hopes Tiafoe, Michelsen advance in Cincinnati

American hard courts often bring out the best in Frances Tiafoe.

That much was true on Tuesday afternoon at the Cincinnati Open, where the home favourite put together a high-quality first-round display to down Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6(6). Tiafoe produced some moments of magic, particularly off his forehand wing, to improve to 9-2 in opening-round matches on hard courts this year.

The No. 27 in the PIF ATP Rankings and a former US Open semi-finalist, Tiafoe reached the quarter-finals in Atlanta and the semi-finals in Washington before a first-round exit in Montreal last week. He was in trouble early on his return to home soil in Cincinnati but reeled off six straight games from 1-3 in the first set to take control against Davidovich Fokina.

Tiafoe looked set to seal a routine victory in the 10th game of the second set, when he carved out three match points. Yet Davidovich Fokina held firm on serve, and even earned a set point of his own in the subsequent tie-break before Tiafoe found a final three-point streak from 5/6 to complete a one-hour, 44-minute victory.

“I thought he played some pretty good points. Other than the return I had on my racquet, the other two he played some good points,” reflected Tiafoe when asked about his difficulties closing out the match. “He’s a Spaniard and they fight until the end, so I kind of knew that going in and wasn’t too surprised.

“Obviously, you want to get it done there. It’s a good first-round win for me. Quality player, been around for a while, and he wins a lot of matches out here on the Tour, so it was a good win.”

Fully Focused Foe 💪

Solid display from @FTiafoe to take down Davidovich Fokina 6-3 7-6(6)!@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/I9sLiX3mzX

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 13, 2024

With his win, Tiafoe improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The 26-year-old’s next opponent in Ohio will be 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti or Nicolas Jarry.

“I haven’t played well here at all,” said Tiafoe, when asked about his desire to improve on his 7-7 career record in Cincinnati. “I think I’ve made one third round. I’ve lost on this court a lot. But just going day by day, having fun. It’s time for me to get back to winning matches more consistently. I lost two in a row, so this was big to not lose three in a row.”

Tiafoe’s #NextGenATP countryman Alex Michelsen also overcame staunch resistance from his first-round opponent to book a crunch clash against top seed Jannik Sinner. Having come through qualifying at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the 19-year-old defeated Tallon Griekspoor 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 on his Cincinnati main-draw debut.

Michelsen powered 36 winners, including 10 aces, against Griekspoor according to Infosys ATP Stats. After notching his third Masters 1000 match win of the year, the big-serving American has risen six spots to a career-high No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, while he has also consolidated second place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Michelsen is chasing his second straight appearance at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/13/20/25/michelsen-cincinnati-2024-tuesday.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Alex Michelsen” />

_{^{Alex Michelsen in action against Tallon Griekspoor on Tuesday at the Cincinnati Open. Photo Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour}}

Zhang Zhizhen, Sebastian Baez and Jiri Lehecka also booked their second-round spots on Tuesday. Zhang overcame the big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-3, 7-6(4) to become the first Chinese main-draw match winner in tournament history. He will next take on Montreal finalist and sixth seed Andrey Rublev.

The World No. 20 Baez downed Marcos Giron 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6), while Lehecka triumphed 7-6(3), 6-3 against Mariano Navone in his first competitive match since he retired from his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final in Madrid in early May. The Czech will face fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Djokovic receives hero’s welcome in Belgrade

Novak Djokovic celebrated his gold medal victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics in his native Serbia with the rest of the Serbian Olympic team, as huge crowds of Serbians received their athletes with a warm welcome Monday evening.

Thousands of onlookers congregated in the capital at Belgrade City Hall to celebrate the efforts of Djokovic and the rest of the Serbian Olympic team, following an Olympic campaign where Serbia accrued five medals overall, including three gold medals. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was present to warmly greet Djokovic and the rest of the Serbian athletes.

Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in the Olympic final to claim a long- awaited Olympic gold medal and complete the career ‘Golden Slam’. The Serb was visibly emotional after his victory, stating that winning the elusive gold medal was “the biggest sporting achievement I have had”.

“I have had the honour and pleasure of being on this special [City Hall] balcony several times in my career, but each time you surprise and inspire me more and more,” Djokovic told the crowd. “This is the most beautiful feeling that an athlete from Serbia can experience.”

Djokovic was joined on the Belgrade City Hall balcony by the rest of the Serbian Olympic team, which included basketball star, Nikola Jokic, a staple figure in the national team as they secured the bronze medal with victory over Germany.

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Popyrin wins maiden Masters 1000 title in Montreal

Alexei Popyrin beats world number six Andrey Rublev in the final of the Canadian Open to claim his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal.

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Rublev reflects on emotional growth after Montreal run

Andrey Rublev may have fallen one match short of winning his third ATP Masters 1000 title on Monday night at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers, but the 26-year-old is proud of how he controlled his emotions throughout his run in Montreal.

“It’s a very positive and a really good week. A really big step forward I think. I feel proud of myself that I was able to be really good all week mentally,” Rublev said. “If we took me back a couple of months ago or even one month ago or even compare my match against [Popyrin] at Monte-Carlo when I was losing, I was behaving ten times more and it was the first round.

“Here it was a final. Much more pressure. I still showed a bit of emotion today, but compared to the matches when I was losing the same way, I think I did a much better job. That’s why I had a little chance in the second set.”

Rublev has struggled to control his emotions at times in the past, with fans becoming accustomed to seeing the 26-year-old show a full range of feelings when on court.

However, the No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was calm throughout his run in Montreal, where he upset World No. 1 Jannik Sinner en route to the final. The 16-time tour-level titlist is keen to build on his emotional progress in the weeks ahead.

“I know which lesson I need to take from this match and just to keep moving,” said Rublev, who lost to Alexei Popyrin in straight sets in the final. “I’ve been [trying to be] more clear in my head since Bastad and every week I’m doing better and better.

“This week no one expected that I [would reach] the final and I did it. So I’m back in a good position in terms of ranking. So I want to focus, keep improving. I just need to take the right lesson and keep going.”

Rublev, who the week before reached the semi-finals in Washington, improved to seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, as he seeks to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year. The 26-year-old was looking to claim a second Masters 1000 title of the season after he won Madrid during the clay swing.

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Popyrin shares Hewitt advice following Montreal title

Alexei Popyrin delivered for Australia at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers in Montreal on Monday when he became the first Aussie ATP Masters 1000 winner since Lleyton Hewitt triumphed in Indian Wells 21 years ago in 2003.

Popyrin defeated Andrey Rublev in the final to claim the biggest title of his career and revealed that former World No. 1 Hewitt offered him important advice ahead of the hard-court event that gave him a boost in Canada.

“Lleyton was actually with me at the Olympics last week and he helped me so much in the Olympics and has helped me so much throughout my career. He gave me some good advice after my match against Zverev at the Olympics,” said Popyrin, who lost to the German in Paris. “He said, ‘You took one of the best players in the world, one of the more informed players in the world, to kind of play some unbelievable tennis to beat you’. I was a break up in that match, so serving for the [first] set and kind of choked it.

“He kind of flipped the switch on it and kind of told me a positive overlook on that match and then gave me the confidence coming into this week.”

Popyrin played with a renewed sense of belief all week in Montreal and thundered 18 forehand winners in the final. The 25-year-old believes his attacking display against Rublev was one of the best performances of his life.

“I would say it’s one of the best matches I’ve played in my life. I think it’s not a level that I haven’t seen myself produce in practise or an occasional match here and there, but considering the occasion, considering what we were playing for, I think with the level that I played, it probably is the best match that I’ve played in my life,” Popyrin said.

“For me, I’m not kind of most proud about how I played in this final. It’s more how I played throughout the whole week. The level that I produced the whole week to play these top guys. To beat them with the level of tennis that I showed was really a testament to everything.”

Popyrin earned three Top 10 wins en route to the title in Montreal, while he defeated five Top 20 players in total to become the first player to achieve that feat at a Masters 1000 event since Holger Rune in Paris in 2022.

The 25-year-old overcame Sebastian Korda to reach the final and then showed little nerves in the title match against Rublev. The Australian is pleased with how he handled the occasion on Court Central.

“I felt pretty calm. What I work for is to play in matches like this, and there’s no point in going out there nervous or scared of the occasion when you’ve worked your whole life to play matches like this,” Popyrin said.

“For me, I really enjoy playing big matches. I really enjoy playing finals and semi-finals and big tournaments in front of a big crowd on a big court. For me that’s where I feel like I play my best tennis. I came out there. I wanted to put a statement in the first game and I think I did that.”

Popyrin arrived in Canada at No. 62 in the PIF ATP Rankings but has climbed 39 spots to a career-high No. 23 after winning his third tour-level title. The Australian feels his victory is a reward for the hard work.

“At the early start of my career it was to not get injured and just play and just not get injured. Now it is building a body, building an athlete that we’ve been doing for two years now,” Popyrin said.

“I felt it out there. Especially the last three matches the past two days. Coming off two tough matches yesterday and to come out and feel the way I did on the court, it just shows that all of the work that we’re putting in we’re building an athlete. I don’t think we’re done yet. My fitness coach is telling me I’ve got a lot of work to do still. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m going to do it. That’s for sure.”

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