Alexei Popyrin's Australian summer ended in disappointment as he suffered an injury-plagued first-round exit at the Australian Open. Despite a strong 2022 season, Popyrin battled a left glute injury and hamstring cramps against Corentin Moutet, ultimately losing 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4. He reflects on the disappointing month and looks ahead to analyzing what went wrong and how to improve.
Alexei Popyrin faces a period of introspection following a disappointing Australian summer that culminated in an injury-plagued first-round exit at Melbourne Park. Despite winning the opening set against world No.69 Corentin Moutet , Popyrin battled a left glute complaint and hamstring cramps from mid-way through the second set, ultimately succumbing to a 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 defeat at John Cain Arena.
This loss marked a stark contrast to Popyrin's impressive 2022 season, which saw him claim a Masters 1000 title in Montreal and sensationally defeat Novak Djokovic en route to the fourth round at the US Open. He had also suffered a first-round defeat in Brisbane prior to Melbourne. Popyrin admitted to the need for a period of reflection, stating, 'I’m going to have to take a few days, a week off, let it all sink in. It’s been a very disappointing month for me, come to Australia off the back of your best year, lose two matches is not something I kind of expected. Yeah, it’s not been an easy month, that’s for sure.' He acknowledged the need to analyze what went wrong and devise a plan to rectify the situation. 'We’re going to have to take a step back, look at what went wrong, and just work from there. I haven’t been in this position before, so I don’t really know what I have to do, but it’s all part of the experience,' he said.Despite the disappointing result, Popyrin found some solace in the positive energy of the partisan crowd. 'That’s an experience and a memory I’ll take with me, but the rest I’m just going to throw in the bin and forget, because it’s not been great,' he remarked. Popyrin attributed his struggles to his long-standing rivalry with Moutet, describing the Frenchman as his 'Achilles heel' since he was eight years old. The Australian battled through pain stemming from a left glute injury, revealing that he had also been unwell for the past four days and experienced an abdominal issue. However, he refused to make excuses, stating, 'Like, I take full responsibility with the way that I played, and, you know, it was shocking. It was really bad. And I know I can do better.' Popyrin remains optimistic about his recovery, anticipating a two-to-three week timeframe for his injury to heal. Moutet went on to secure a second-round match against American qualifier Mitchell Krueger, who also defeated an Australian, Rinky Hijikata
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