Montreal, Canada, 23 August 2024 | Rhys de Deugd

The Montreal Masters was a transformative breakthrough for Alexei Popyrin.

Not only did it mark the biggest title of his career, but it was a breakthrough for his country, as he became the first Australian ATP Masters 1000 champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.

Popyrin defeated top-10 opponents Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev on the way to the title, taking his total to four top-10 wins this year – the most of any season in his career.

The Canadian Open champion discussed what this major milestone meant to him on The AO Show Weekly.

“It’s massive for me. I don’t think many players go through their career and win a Masters 1000, and for me to be able to do that is honestly is a dream come true,” said Popyrin during an interview which will run in full on Monday’s episode of The Sit-Down.

“(It) really showed that I’m able to play at that level and play consistently at that level which is a testament to all the hard work we’ve done over the past two years.”

LISTEN: Alexei Popyrin on The AO Show Weekly

Heading into the tournament ranked outside the world’s top 60, Popyrin skyrocketed 39 places after his title triumph to secure a seeded position at the upcoming US Open.

It will be the first time the 25-year-old will be seeded at a Grand Slam tournament.

Popyrin credits the drastic improvement to his team for making refinements to his game to help him break new ground.

“My two coaches have been unbelievable for me, Neville Godwin and Xavier Malisse,” he explained.

“They kind of flipped my game upside down and kind of mentally, helped me get back on the right track after my very disappointing year in 2022.”

His return of serve went to a new level in Canada, as identified by Simon Rea from Game Insight Group.

Rea, on last week’s episode of The AO Show, noted that Popyrin was “making inroads” on second-serve returns.

The Australian had averaged 46 per cent of second-serve return points won in the past 12 months, a number which spiked to 65 per cent in the Montreal final against Rublev.

A player usually known more so for his serve and powerful forehand, Popyrin’s return game is an area he is focused on developing, and it paid dividends in Montreal.

“It’s definitely something that we’ve highlighted as a place that we have to improve in. We have been putting (in) work, but not kind of over-the-top work… there were a few adjustments that we made,” he said.

“It’s been a big, big improvement and it’s something that hopefully will continue improving.”

Returning so well helped Popyrin play with conviction and cause successive upsets against some of the biggest names on tour.

Gaining belief and self-assurance from his historic run, he hopes he can take it with him and use it as a stepping stone to greater heights.

“It’s so amazing to be able to play tennis when you’re high on confidence,” he said.

“To be able to step on court and feel like you’re able to produce any shot or do anything, that’s a feeling that you try and keep forever.”

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!