‘Always Been Number 1’- 16-YO Russian WTA Prodigy Shower Unwavering Love on Idol Roger Federer in Endearing Confession

Mirra Andreeva is one of the most promising young talents in the tennis world. The 16-year-old tennis player has already shown the world that she can go toe-to-toe with superstars of the game. Andreeva’s ambitions are giant. Her goal is now to win at least 25 Grand Slam titles in her career. And, that is 5 titles more than her favorite player. The Russian teenager has time and again revealed her admiration for the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer and she did it yet again recently!

American sports equipment manufacturing company, Wilson recently shared a story through their tennis page where Andreeva was asked to reveal the name of her favorite player. And, she didn’t waste any time mentioning the name of the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

Who’s number one in tennis, according to Mirra Andreeva?

When asked to name her favorite player, Andreeva replied, “Roger Federer has always been number 1.” However, this isn’t the first time she has revealed her admiration for the Swiss legend. Andreeva once stated that she grew up as a fan of Roger Federer. Though Rafael Nadal‘s mentality also impressed her and she always tries to mimic that on the court.

During an interview, the 16-year-old said, “I always admire Federer and he was always my favorite player. But after Nadal, he won French Open in 2022, I was really impressed because after an injury, he came back, he won the Australian Open, he won French Open. After that, I can say that now mental-wise I just try sometimes to copy him.” But talking about running through emotions during the match and controlling it, she took Federer’s name.

Andreeva once revealed how she has taken encouragement from the likes of Roger Federer to overcome her teenage tantrums. “I knew that Federer was struggling with emotions when he was teenager. Actually, when I was younger, I saw that, ‘Well, he was struggling also. I’m not the only one who also struggles.” She had worked on that, and currently, she believes she’s always in a much better state during the matches. 

READ MORE: ‘Even Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’ – Russian Prodigy Reveals Her Mantra for Dealing With Mistakes

Does Mirra Andreeva watch old matches? Well, she said she watches a lot of matches and her favorite one from the AO was in 2017 when Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in the finals at Melbourne Park.

Roger Federer is Andreeva’s favorite player, but who’s her idol in women’s tennis?

Mirra Andreeva had a stellar run this year at the Australian Open. She reached the fourth round of the tournament and also defeated her idol Ons Jabeur in the second round. After that epic encounter, she said “Of course, I’m happy I played with Ons.”

The teenager further went on to add that it was one of her dreams to play against Jabeur because she really likes the way she plays. “I’m inspired by her. So it means a lot,” Andreeva.The Russian is an incredible athlete and an intelligent player. She also has the right amount of firepower to take control from the baseline, particularly with her backhand. Even the former world number 1, Andy Murray heaped praise on her performance at the AO this year.

Andy Murray was impressed with her mental strength. The same mentality which she once tried to learn from Roger Federer. Murray gave a certification for that. Andreeva was delighted to hear that Murray watched her game. Do you think she’s the next big thing in women’s tennis?

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