Alexei Popyrin has been a patient supporter for Australia's Davis Cup team, helping out in practice and turning up at courtside to back his mates even when he's not been in the official squad.
But this was the day 'Poppy' stood tall, turning from cheerleader into team spearhead with a jitters-defying performance that helped put them on their way to a second straight final in the 'World Cup of men's tennis'.
The 24-year-old Sydneysider hadn't played in a Davis Cup tie for two years but in Malaga on Friday, when the call from captain Lleyton Hewitt finally came for him to step into the difficult opening singles spot that has caused him so many problems this season, he delivered brilliantly.
Against a flying young opponent, Otto Virtanen, who'd been the hero of Finland's sensational quarter-final dethronement of Canada, Popyrin defused all the bombs that the tournament's biggest server could throw at him and gradually took control of the key rubber in a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory that launched the Aussies' 2-0 win.
What a rally and what a finish from Popyrin 🤯#DavisCupFinals | @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/wmNj3SXQwC
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 24, 2023
Popyrin looked the picture of coolness, occasionally coming up with special winners, but admitted afterwards he had somehow done it all despite suffering from "nerves I have never experienced before in my life."
"It's something I've been working on a lot, this year especially, calming myself during tense moments, times when I'm nervous, really trying to just trick myself into just staying calm and focus on what I have to do point by point, technical-wise, and when I'm serving," said the world No.40.
It worked so well that he looks a shoo-in to play the opening match of the final, a potentially decisive one with would-be opponents - either Serbia or Italy - both having one world-beating singles player in Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, and Australia boasting the world-beating doubles pair, Matt Ebden and Max Purcell.
"Alexei stood up when he needed to today," said Hewitt.
"That was a big day for him, big result. Super proud of him. He's done a lot of hard work. He was there in Manchester (during the group stage when not in the squad), putting in the hours on the court, supporting the boys.
"He got his opportunity today and he took it with both hands."
Max Purcell, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson had all lost in opening Davis Cup rubbers this season, but Popyrin, now higher ranked than all of them after winning his second ATP singles crown in Croatia this year, had patiently been waiting.
"I always put my name up. I'm always ready to play. And we believe in our captain. He goes out, he makes the decisions. I just have to be ready when my name is called - and today I was," shrugged Popyrin, who'd only ever played two singles ties, winning one dead rubber and losing a live one.
"We've got eight or nine players inside the top 100 capable of playing for Australia. Each and every one of them can go out and do the job. For me to be able to go out and do it today, I'm personally very proud of that."
