But as the Australian No.2 reflected on his upsetting split with Xavier Malisse, he's adamant that, under a new co-coach Wayne Ferreira and armed with a fresh mindset, he can rediscover the sort of consistent excellence that brought him a breakthrough triumph at last year's Canadian Open.
Speaking to AAP at the French Open, Popyrin admitted: "It's not been the easiest season, but honestly, I think it's been a massive learning curve for me. I'm in a great state of mind right now."
After his brilliant 2024, which also featured him beating Novak Djokovic at the US Open as he roared into the world's top 25, Popyrin started this year "injured, not quite fit, sick and on antibiotics", with his confidence down.
But the biggest shock came at Indian Wells when Malisse, the Belgian known to his team as 'X' and the man who'd put an X-factor into the Aussie's big game last year, told Popyrin he wouldn't be co-coaching any more alongside the Sydneysider's long-time mentor Neville Godwin.
"It was really out of the blue for me. There was some things behind the scenes that maybe he didn't kind of agree with," said Popyrin.
"X sat me down at Indian Wells and said he would finish there. It wasn't an easy conversation for both of us, but I think it was for the better anyway, because you could kind of feel with the team atmosphere that something wasn't right.
"But it was still a shock, because after such a great season in 2024, this was a team I thought I would keep for the rest of my career. It's not the easiest thing to go through.
"But two years is a long time for people to spend together, and just sometimes, people lose that motivation and the drive to keep going. I guess that's what happened there."
A fresh opportunity arose with Ferreira, the South African former world top-six player joining the team instead.
"Wayne's been an unbelievable addition," enthused Popyrin. "His tennis IQ is really, really high. I put even more trust in what he and Nev say, and I've got a team around me I'm really comfortable with right now," enthused Popyrin.
Results have improved, as he reached the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and, last week, Geneva -- but Popyrin wants more.
The Montreal win only reinforced his belief he can beat anyone on his day. It's just consistency he's after now.
"I know I'm able to win these matches against top-10 players, these one-off tournaments, but then I'll back it up with two or three first-round losses, and for me, that that's really difficult to accept.
"So I need to find a different way of of training, a different mentality, to win on a consistent basis."
And set to play Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round on Monday, he's ready to deliver at a Roland Garros venue which will always hold special memories for him as a boys' champion here.
But the one-time wunderkind is no boy any more, having just won his 100th tour match in Geneva.
"I got called a veteran at the start of this year, and I'm like, 'what's going on? I'm only 25 years old!' It was a little bit of a shock," he laughed.
But these are Popyrin's prime years. "Winning in Canada left me wanting more," he says.
"I've been doing this for now going on seven years, and I think I've still got a lot in me, still got a lot to improve. That's the most exciting part."
Yes, it's time for 'Poppy' to bloom.
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