Alexei Popyrin vows to change after Andy Murray inspired eye-opening realisation

Alexei Popyrin has revealed the career setback that made him realise he'd forgotten to enjoy being one of Australia's top stars – and how Andy Murray helped rediscover his love for tennis.

Australia’s second highest ranked men’s tennis player Alexei Popyrin says the past year has opened his eyes to how stale life on tour had become.

After reaching a career-high ranking of 19 in August, the 26 year-old struggled for an extended period with a back injury.

He’s slipped to 54th in the world but has vowed to adopt a positive mentality when his year recharges at the Australian Open in January.

“I’ve been doing this for nine years now and it becomes kind of mundane,’’ Popyrin said.

“I’ve spoken to both my coaches and listened to interviews with Andy Murray and Michael Jordan and they all say your career is probably the most entertaining thing that’ll happen to you in your life. Andy said he regretted the most not enjoying his career enough.

Alexei Popyrin says his eyes have been opened on how to enjoy tennis again. Picture: Getty

“I want to be happy on and off court, enjoy the places I go to and that will translate to me being happy and positive on the court. For me it was more that I was so focused on ticking boxes and doing everything I possibly can do, that I kind of forgot about me as a person. It’s just finding that balance.”

Popyrin will leave his base in Dubai on December 29 after spending Christmas there with his family and fiance Amy Pederick.

Speaking at Atlantis The Royal’s Cloud 22 to help promote the Dubai themed Emirates suite at the Australian Open, Popyrin also had a hit with Collingwood’s visiting stars Josh and Nick Daicos and Isaac Quaynor.

Alexei Popyrin says listening to the likes of Andy Murray and Michael Jordan helped him rediscover his love of tennis.

He said missing out on playing Davis Cup on home soil hurt the most during his layoff, and the challenge for him now is to bridge the gap between his best against top players and his worst against lower ranked players.

“I think I’ve always had the ability to perform at a high level and to beat top guys and my record against them shows that,’’ Popyrin said.

“For me the big part is raising my level against guys I should be beating. That’s where I’ve struggled my whole career. I’ve not been as consistent as I want to be, but I’m feeling the most positive about my tennis that I have been.”

Popyrin is also excited for 2026 because he and Pederick will marry in September in the South of France where they have just bought a house.

“We live in the French Riviera, in a little old town, so we’ll spend half the year there,’’ he said.

“We found a window which is hard to do with the tennis schedule. I’m really excited and so is she. We’ll try and keep it as small as possible but we’ve got a lot of family and friends coming, my sister is flying in with her two kids from Melbourne, so it’s funny how quickly the guest list builds up.”

Originally published as Alexei Popyrin vows to change after Andy Murray inspired eye-opening realisation