MELBOURNE: When he faces 10-time winner Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open second round, nobody will be cheering for Alexei Popyrin, but the local hope declared on Monday that he would treat the top player in the world like any other. Popyrin, who defeated fellow countryman Marc Polmans 6-3 7-6(3) 6-2 in the opening round, declared he would ignore Djokovic’s accomplishments and enter Wednesday’s match with the belief that he can defeat the 24-time Grand Slam champion. “Going to play against Novak is nothing different than going to play against anybody else on tour,” Popyrin stated to reporters. It’s the same preparation for me. It’s the same mindset for me.
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I’m entering there with complete assurance. “I wouldn’t want to enter there believing that he is most likely the best of all time. I think he’s accomplished a lot. He is most likely the best person ever. “Though he may be the best player in the world, he is simply another guy on the other side of the net, and I need to have faith and confidence in my ability to win the match.” Popyrin’s lone prior encounter with Djokovic was at the Japan Open in 2019, where he was defeated in straight sets. The 43rd-ranked Popyrin remarked, “I remember that I was physically just not up to par with him.”
