Seven years since he became French Open junior champion and dreamed idly that it would be the launch pad for a Carlos Alcaraz-style, rocket man ascent, Alexei Popyrin offers a reflective smile.
"Yeah, it is a long time ago … and it feels like a long time ago," he sighs.
They seem like ancient history, those pictures of that long-haired, stick-thin 17-year-old with a beaming smile, holding aloft the boys' prize previously won by the likes of Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe.
