Who is Alexei Popyrin? The Australian who beat Novak Djokovic
Alexei Popyrin beat 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, in the third round of the 2024 US Open, leaving him short of his 25th Grand Slam title. With this exit, this will be the first season since 2017, that world number two, Djokovic, will end without a major title. Here we decode the journey and stats of Popyrin.
Maiden win for Popyrin over Djokovic
This was the maiden win for Popyrin over Djokovic in what was their 4th ATP Tour meeting. Djokovic served a total of 16 aces compared to Popyrin's 15. Djokovic's loss was marked by 14 double faults. Meanwhile, the Australian committed just six double faults. Popyrin clocked 50 winners as Djokovic recorded as many as 49 unforced errors besides registering 14 double-faults.
Popyrin's form in 2024
Popyrin won his first Masters 1000 title at the 2024 Canadian Open. Popyrin defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets. He became the third Australian to defeat two top 10 players in a single Masters 1000 season. Notably, he was ousted in the 3rd round at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was his maiden Olympics. He has an overall win-loss record of 23-16 this season.
Popyrin's career stats and achievements
Popyrin is currently, he's Australia's No. 2 singles player and has won three singles titles on the ATP Tour. Before the 2024 Canadian Open Masters 1000 title, he won the 2022 Croatia Open and the 2021 Singapore Open honors. Popyrin was a runner-up with the Australian national team at the 2023 Davis Cup final.
Early life and Junior career achievements
Popyrin is an Australian tennis player born on August 5, 1999, in Sydney to Russian parents. He began playing tennis at the age of four and later moved to Dubai for two years. He quickly gained recognition by reaching world number two in the junior rankings, with a major early milestone being his 2017 Roland Garros boys' singles title.
Popyrin's record at the Slams
With the win over Djokovic, Popyrin will be making his maiden fourth-round appearance at a Slam event. He is currently 20-22 at Grand Slams. This year, he exited in 2nd round, 1st round and 3rd round each at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon respectively. His perforemance at the US Open reads 8-4. He had reached the 3rd round twice before.
