“It can’t keep going on like this”: Shattered Popyrin falls in midnight epic as nightmare summer continues
An emotional Alexei Popyrin admitted he needs to “look deep inside” after a crushing five-set loss to Alexandre Muller on Monday night, a defeat that capped off a winless Australian summer and extended a losing streak dating back to the 2025 US Open.
Alexei Popyrin, Australia 2026 | © PsNewz
Alexandre Muller defeated Alexei Popyrin 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4) on Monday night at the Australian Open, a result that concluded an agonizing night session on John Cain Arena for the home crowd.
The Frenchman, ranked number 52, outlasted the Australian in an epic contest that spanned three hours and 53 minutes to secure his place in the round of 64. Muller, who displayed remarkable resilience by recovering from a break down in the fifth set, is now scheduled to face the third seed Alexander Zverev in the second round.
The match was a study in statistical contrasts as Popyrin fired 40 aces compared to only 4 from Muller, yet the Australian was unable to capitalize on his serving dominance when the pressure reached its peak.
Popyrin : “Couldn’t close it out. That’s about it.”
Popyrin held serve with relative ease for nearly the entire match until he served for the victory at 5-3 in the deciding set, only to be broken by the consistent grinding of the Frenchman. Popyrin had also led 4-2 in the fourth set and held a 5-2 advantage in the fourth-set tiebreak, but both leads evaporated as he struggled to find a finishing touch against a defender he described as moving and grinding really well.
In an emotional post-match press conference, a tearful Popyrin admitted to deep disappointment, stating, “Felt like I was in control nearly all the match. Couldn’t close it out. That’s about it.” The 26-year-old revealed that he has been dealing with a persistent calf issue for several months which flared up during the match, leading to a medical timeout and late-match cramping.
Reflecting on his recent form, Popyrin was remarkably self-critical, noting, “I don’t know. For me it’s really tough to take. I just think I do a lot. I work a lot. I think about my career a lot. Yeah, and to have results like this and to have results that I’ve had the last couple of months, and obviously to start the year, it’s not easy to take… But you have to sometimes maybe, when it keeps happening, keeps on happening, maybe I have to look at myself and see and really look deep inside because it can’t keep going on like this.”
Still a turbulent phase
The loss marks the end of a difficult Australian summer for Popyrin, who also suffered first-round exits at the Brisbane International against Quentin Halys and the Adelaide International against Reilly Opelka.
This winless stretch follows a turbulent end to his 2025 season where his ranking fell from a career-high of 19th down to 54th due to injury and a mental health break. Popyrin also addressed his decision to skip Australia’s upcoming Davis Cup tie against Ecuador in February, explaining that the altitude and clay court conditions did not align with his need to gain ranking points during that period of the season.
