Alexei Popyrin has paid a heartfelt tribute to his family for "sacrificing everything" to give their talented 10-year-old son a gambler's shot at hitting tennis's big time.
Fifteen years on, Popyrin did just that when he completed a seed-slaying, mega-money run to Montreal title glory to become the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003 to snare an ATP Masters 1000 crown.
The former French Open junior champ announced his arrival as a grand slam force in spectacular fashion with five successive victories over top-20 rivals, including a straight-sets dispatch of world No.6 Andrey Rublev in the final.
Popyrin later recalled how his Russian immigrant parents, Alex and Elena, left Sydney when he was eight, first for Dubai, then for Spain two years later - somewhat on a whim - in pursuit of a fanciful dream.
"My family decided to pursue my tennis career after a tournament I played in Croatia when I was nine years old," he said on a Zoom call from Canada.
"A lot of the top juniors were playing and I was playing a year above my age and I played well there, made quarters and stuff and could compete with these kids.
"Then my parents thought, 'OK, maybe we can pursue this sport' and they moved to Spain because the kid I lost to who won the tournament was from Spain.
"So we moved there and, from then on, it was just everything about tennis."
Popyrin, who became neighbours in Alicante with fellow Sydney-born star Alex de Minaur, even left school, his folks tutoring him online instead in between training.
"Honestly from when I started playing tennis to about 21 years old, my mum was on court with me every single day," he said.
"She didn't miss one training session. She didn't miss one match. She travelled with me everywhere.
"She was there every step of the way and, honestly, I wouldn't be here without them because they just sacrificed everything."
Popyrin said his entrepreneurial father "just found a way always" to continue providing opportunities for his four children.
"He was always working, always busy," Popyrin said.
"But he always found time for us all the time and we appreciated that.
"To pick up and leave and put everything, all your money that you've earned, on a 10-year-old and a nine-year-old and a bite the bullet, it's like roulette.
"They didn't know anything about tennis and they learnt along the way and I wouldn't be here without them."
Popyrin pocketed a cheque for $US1.05 million ($A1.6 million) after joining Hewitt, Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis as Australia's only Masters 1000 title winners.
He also rocketed from No.62 in the world to a career-high 23rd and secured a precious first-time grand slam seeding for the US Open starting in 12 days.
But it hasn't all been smooth sailing.
At 14, when he could barely win a match and three years before becoming Australia's only Roland Garros junior winner in more than half a century, Popyrin wanted to pack it all in.
He endured a similarly low dark time in 2022 but again chose to fight on, mostly because he felt he owed his family.
"I wouldn't have this achievement if I didn't go through what I went through in 2022," Popyrin said.
"I learned so much about myself.
"As tough as it was, it was a year where I matured the most in my life and understood what I really needed to do to compete and play and win matches on tour.
"It was a blessing in disguise."
