'He understands what he needs to do': Exclusive interview with Alexei Popyrin's coach, Wayne Ferreira
- Christian Montegan
- Aug 26
- 4 min read
Back in March, Alexei Popyrin announced his surprise split with coach Xavier Malisse.
"Hey guys, Xavier Malisse and I have mutually decided to stop working together," Popyrin wrote on his Instagram story. "I just want [to] thank [Xavier] for all the amazing memories, fun vibes and hard work! Thank you X-Man!"
Malisse was the coach who helped guide Popyrin to his maiden Masters 1000 title and a then-career-high No.23 in the rankings.
It seemed as though things were falling into place. Bits and pieces were aligning. Confidence grew after defeating Novak Djokovic at last year's US Open.
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Now returning to New York 12 months later, the 26-year-old has a new coach by his side in Wayne Ferreira.
Born in South Africa, Ferreira, who reached two Australian Open semi-finals as a player himself, previously coached former world No.10 Frances Tiafoe and 2014 US Open winner Marin Čilić.
With Popyrin slipping to 43rd in the live rankings, Ferreira's goal is to get him back on track.
"We've had the opportunities over the last few months to work on a few things, looking at his game and seeing what he can improve on," Ferreira told Monday night's radio edition of The First Serve Live.
"It's been good. We've worked a lot on various aspects of the game, on the backhand side, on the serve, on the movement.
"He's a great guy. He wants this a lot, and he works really hard. We've put in a lot of work. I can't say anything but great things about him.
"He's very passionate about the game... He understands what he needs to do to get better [and] how he needs to do it."
When Ferreira decided to tackle a new challenge and work with Popyrin, he already had a grasp of the Sydneysider's upside and potential.
Having a particular plan is one thing, but how that plan is executed is an entirely different task for a coach.
"That's the objective of a new coach; to throw in some new ideas," Ferreira said.
"I think everyone is aware of his strengths and weaknesses. We know we have to continue on those things.
"We've been working a lot on how to fix the backhand. We've worked a lot on the serve and improving the higher percentages and the placement part of it [to get] more free points. We're trying to get him to come forward towards the net again; he volleys so well and doesn't really use it as much as he should.
"It's trying to take those aspects of the game and piece them together."
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Unlike team sports, where players often go their separate ways after the conclusion of a match, the constant travel on the Tour helps bond players and coaches to form close relationships.
Balance, however, is fundamentally crucial.
"So far it's been really good," Ferreira said when asked about travelling with Popyrin. "It's been good to spend time together, to get to know each other, to get to know the outside personality part of a person.
"A lot of that is also important in the game of tennis, so getting to know how he is, how he feels, what he's thinking about, what kind of emotions he has, is also really important to coach him on the court, and it's been good.
"Obviously we haven't been together for a very long time. The longer you stay with somebody, the harder those things get about spending so much time together, but up until now, it's been perfect. We've started to understand each other and how we work and how we go about the day."
Following trials conducted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), a coach is allowed to verbally interact with their player during matches at ATP, WTA and Grand Slam level.
The rule change has sparked mixed reactions, but Ferreira believes there is still a level of responsibility to ensure it is used effectively from a player and coach's perspective.
"I think it's changed the game a lot," he admitted. "Someone like Alexei who doesn't need a lot of information while he's playing, except maybe a little tweak.
"But you have to be careful not to overdo it, [putting] too much information in the head. You see some of the players that are relying on their coaches after every point... that's maybe a step too far."
Popyrin begins his US Open campaign against Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori on Wednesday, not before 2:10am AEST.
If he is to get through that, then a second round date with world No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner potentially awaits.
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