Alexei Popyrin won the 2024 Canadian Open in Montreal, and he was rewarded with a private jet flight thanks to that win.
Popyrin has been a solid player for a few years but also a player who never had a signature breakthrough. His first trophy came in 2021 in Singapore with a tremendous comeback win over Alexander Bublik.
The second trophy for the Australian came last year at the Croatia Open in Umag with a win over Stan Wawrinka, and the biggest of his wins came recently in Montreal.
It was a fantastic run by Popyrin, who didn't expect to do that well. surprised himself with his level, but he beat several great players like Ben Shelton, Hubert Hurkacz, Sebastian Korda, and Andrey Rublev in the final to win the trophy. It was a masterful run and the major breakout he was looking for.
"Yeah, it feels unbelievable. I kept saying all week the hard work that I've put in over these last few years feels like it's paid off somewhat this week. I played a really, really high level of tennis, which I believed that I could play my whole life, but to put it into six matches in a row against really high-quality opponents is something else. I'm just really proud of myself and my team."
He's within reach of breaking into the Top 20, and if he keeps playing this way, he'll certainly get it by the end of the year. Making the final in Montreal was a memorable experience for many reasons, but one stood out to him: He got to fly in a private jet.
Many tennis players are used to flying because they do it all the time. However, very rarely will they find themselves in a private jet because that's reserved for the richest in any sport.
Porpyin had never been on a private jet before, but he got a chance to do so by making the final. After the quarter-final at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal, his coach told him that the event provides a private jet to players who make the final to comfortably get to Cincinnati for the following tournament - the Cincinnati Open.
Flying isn't always comfortable, but it's nice to do in a private jet. It was a bit daunting for Poyprin, though, because he doesn't like flying, and he never flew in such a small plane.
"Yeah. So basically what I was told on the quarterfinals by my coach that if you make finals, the tournament provides a private jet to Cincinnati. Just before the semifinals we were, like: 'Let's go out and get that private jet.'"
"I've never been on a private jet before in my life, so it will be a first for me tomorrow morning. Yeah, I'm honestly really scared of planes. I'm scared of flying. So we'll see how I go on such a small plane, but yeah."
The grind was worth it for Popyrin, as he not only won the biggest trophy of his tennis career but also got to fly in a private jet and safely made it to Cincinnati.
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