“Not a newbie anymore”: why happiness on then way is the new priority for Alexei Popyrin
Following a grueling 2025 season defined by injury and travel fatigue, world No. 54 Alexei Popyrin is rebooting his career in Brisbane with a family-first philosophy.
Alexei Popyrin, Brisbane 2025 | © Tennis Australia
Alexei Popyrin landed in Australia at midnight on Monday, was in bed by 2:00 a.m., and was on the practice court by 8:30 a.m.. For a 26-year-old entering his eighth year on the ATP Tour, the brutal turnaround is a rite of passage.
“I think that’s the way it is when you come to Australia,” Popyrin said as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. “Try and beat the jetlag as quick as possible. And, yeah, I feel pretty good, actually”.
But “feeling good” for Popyrin this year isn’t just about his back – which he reports is finally healthy – it’s about a radical shift in how he manages the mental tax of the professional circuit. Following a 2025 season that saw the Sydney-born powerhouse drop to world No. 54, he is using the Brisbane International to debut a “happiness-first” management strategy.
Popyrin : The “Illumination Moment”
Popyrin’s 2024 was a year of staggering heights: he won his first Masters 1000 at Montreal and stunned Novak Djokovic at the US Open. However, the 2025 follow-up was a sobering reminder of the tour’s volatility.
“I think it started off at Wimbledon,” Popyrin admitted, reflecting on when the enjoyment began to fade as he lost at the first round against Arthur Féry, being seed No. 20. “I went through a little bit of a down patch there… and then got injured after that. It was a little bit of a kind of – I was feeling good and then got kicked back down. When I came back from injury, I wasn’t quite enjoying traveling”.
The mental fatigue was so acute that the player who once thrived on the road found himself dreading the airport. “I kind of wanted to stay at home,” he said. “I had to push myself to go out there and travel”.
A Veteran’s Pivot
Now, as he begins 2026, Popyrin is leaning into his experience to avoid the same trap. No longer the young prospect with boundless energy, he is approaching the season like the veteran he has become.
“I’m not a newbie anymore,” Popyrin stated. “It’s my eighth year on tour now… Got to find different ways to kind of stimulate my mind and just find ways to enjoy it when I’m traveling. That’s what I’m trying to do”.
His solution is a deliberate “mindset shift” regarding career management. He spent nearly two months at his home in Dubai during the off-season – his longest stretch of stability since the pandemic in 2020 – to reset his perspective.
“I spoke to my team after the season finished, and I was like, I just want to do things a little bit differently,” he explained. “I just want to enjoy my time when I’m traveling. I want to do some stuff off the court that I enjoy doing more often… and then focus when I’m on site”.
The Family Factor
The cornerstone of this new management plan is human connection. Popyrin has committed to bringing his family on the road more frequently to combat the isolation of the tour.
“I don’t think us tennis players get to see our family as much as we want to,” Popyrin said. “I’m lucky that I’ve got my sister and her children here. They actually landed this morning… I’m just excited to spend some more time with family here in Australia”.
This sense of balance is what he believes will unlock the level of tennis that saw him conquer Montreal. Despite his current ranking, Popyrin remains convinced that the only thing separating him from the top tier is his mental state.
“As long as my mind’s up to it, then I feel like I’ve got the level to be where I want to be,” Popyrin said. “I feel completely different to how I felt coming into Brisbane last year versus this year. I feel more refreshed. I feel positive, I feel excited for the new year. And that’s a really good feeling to have”.
