A shattered Alexei Popyrin has conceded his tennis ‘can’t keep going on like this’ after a first-round Australian Open exit completed a nightmare summer.
Popyrin slipped to a crushing five-set defeat to Frenchman Alexandre Muller at Melbourne Park on Monday night.
He failed to take several opportunities in the 2-6 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-4) defeat, which rounded out a brutal Australian swing.
The 26-year-old also suffered first-round exits at the Brisbane International and Adelaide International, following a rough end to 2025.
Popyrin’s world ranking dipped from a career-high 19th last August to 54th by year’s end, amid a mental health break, a back injury and failing to defend his 2024 Canadian Open crown.
When asked when he felt things would turn, an emotional Popyrin’s voice wavered as he said: ‘I don’t know. I don’t know.
Australia’s Alexei Popyrin cut a distressed figure as his awful summer continued at Melbourne Park on Monday night
The 26-year-old suffered a crushing five-set defeat after taking a mental health break when his form fell off a cliff last year
Popyrin made worrying comments about his state of mind after being defeated by Frenchman Alexandre Muller (pictured together)
‘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.
‘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, even though I feel like I’m playing well and I feel like I’m doing everything that I want to do.
‘Yeah, the results are just not coming, and I guess that’s tennis sometimes.
‘But when it keeps happening … maybe I have to look at myself and see and really look deep inside because it can’t keep going on like this.’
When up two sets to one, Popyrin led 4-2 in the fourth set, and then 5-2 in the tiebreak.
The 26-year-old, who fired down 40 aces, also served for the match at 5-3 in the fifth, but couldn’t finish off Muller, who won the 10-point match tiebreak.
‘Disappointment. Yeah, obviously not happy. Felt like I was in control nearly all the match. Couldn’t close it out. That’s about it,’ Popyrin said.
‘I just couldn’t come up with the finishing touch nearly three times today, and that’s really disappointing.
‘But you can look at the positives.’
Popyrin had treatment on his calf but said it was a pre-existing issue.
He teared up as he lamented being unable to deliver in front of the parochial John Cain Arena crowd.
‘It kind of flared up there. Then obviously with all the nerves and the hype and everything like that … I usually don’t cramp, but it’s now two years in a row that on this court I cramp,’ he said.
‘I really want to put on a show and really want to win for the crowd. They’re there for me, and I can’t win. It’s not easy.’
Popyrin said he was sitting out Australia’s Davis Cup qualifying tie against Ecuador next month to attempt to claw his way back up the rankings.
‘Nothing beats playing for your country, but at the same time I have to think about my year,’ he said.
