ATP player who once beat Novak Djokovic at the US Open admits he has had the ‘least enjoyable’ year of his career

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Alexei Popyrin has reflected on a challenging season after an impressive breakthrough in 2024.

Popyrin became a Masters 1000 champion in 2024 after winning the Canadian Open in surprise fashion.

This was not the Australian’s only impressive result last year, with Popyrin also stunning Novak Djokovic at the US Open.

These results enabled Popyrin to reach a career-high of world number 19 earlier this year, but his results have not reflected that ranking.

Alexei Popyrin admits it has been the ‘least enjoyable’ season of his career

Popyrin has only won 17 of his 40 matches in 2025, which includes a first round loss at Wimbledon to British player Arthur Fery, who was ranked outside the top 400 at the time.

This included Popyrin losing his last five matches of the year, with his season curtailing after a first round defeat against Sebastian Korda in Athens.

When reflecting on his season in an interview with Australian news outlet, The Age, Popyrin admitted that he has found it the least enjoyable year of his playing career and suggested he has felt burnt out.

“I needed a break,” admitted Popyrin. “I went almost two and a half or three months straight without a break, and that was just with traveling, training, playing, and I think I got to a point where the week before Wimbledon I didn’t feel ready, and that was the second Grand Slam where that happened to me.

“It was probably the least enjoyable season of my career so far, but I learned a lot about how I want to approach the rest of my career.”

Alexei Popyrin suggests if he expects himself to bounce back up the rankings

Despite many disappointing results this year, one of Popyrin’s best tournaments in 2025 was again the Canadian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals.

However, after Popyrin failed to defend his title, he began to slip from his highest ever ranking to drop back outside the top 50.

Popyrin does not seem to have been too affected by this, as he still appears to have belief that he can climb back inside the top 20.

“I feel I have the level to get back into the top 20, so my ranking isn’t worrying me,” said Popyrin. “I don’t like where I am right now, and it’s not a great picture, but I know what I’m capable of with my game, and when I’m in the right mindset and my training is going well, I feel like everything will fall into place and I’ll get back to where I should be.

“I’ve had bad luck this year with injuries and an illness at the beginning of the year, but you’re bound to have years like this, and the important thing is how you recover.”

Popyrin has already confirmed his plans for the 2025 season, as he has entered the Brisbane International and Adelaide International as his first two tournaments ahead of the Australian Open.

This will be a good opportunity for Popyrin to climb back up the rankings with the support of his home crowd, as he only has 10 points to defend from the entire Australian swing.