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.
