Mirra Andreeva bounced back from her despair to lose 5-1 in the deciding set to beat Diane Parry. Photo: Robert Prange/Getty Image
After a miraculous comeback to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open, 16-year-old sensation Mirra Andreeva said she would print out Andy Murray's tweet and frame it on her wall.
Andreeva was in tears at the back of the court when her third-round opponent, France's Diane Parry, hit her with a forehand for a 5-1 lead in the deciding set. Yet, somehow, she found the inspiration to push through the next five games and eventually win 1-6, 6-1, 7-6.
In an article on X – formerly Twitter – Murray addressed the commentator, talking about Andreeva's Tears:
Andreeva loses with a score of 5:1 and takes third place. Commentator: “She really needs to work on the mental side of the game…she's too hard on herself when she loses.”
30 minutes later Andreeva wins 7-6.
Perhaps the reason she turned the match around was because of her mental strength. Maybe she's turned…
— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) January 19, 2024
There may be subtext to Murray's post as he himself is prone to negativity when behind in matches – a trend in recent seasons only got worse.
Murray's endorsement was welcomed by Andreeva, who always calls him her favorite male player. She made a splash last year when she played her first top-level tournament in Madrid, beat two seeded opponents and then rushed to reporters: “You see Andy Murray… you see his face. And he is so handsome in real life. He's so amazing.” (“Imagine how well she will behave when her eyes are cured,” he replied laconically.)
After sneaking past Parry on Friday, Andreeva said: “I didn’t think he would watch the match and then tweet. Honestly, I'll try to print it sometime. I'll put this in a frame. I will carry it with me everywhere. Maybe I'll put this on my wall so I can see it every day.”
She also suggested that her penchant for self-criticism played a crucial role in turning the match around. “Maybe being harsh with myself really helped me,” she said. “I just kept pushing myself. I told myself bad words.”
Born in April 2007, Andreeva is unusually developed beyond her years. However, she is too old to set any new records here, even if she has to go on and lift the trophy. Martina Hingis, the so-called “Swiss Miss”, was five months younger than Andreeva now when she won her first major title in Melbourne in 1997.
Surprisingly, Andreeva appears to be familiar with Hingis' work. – and even have strong feelings about the French Open final, which Hingis lost to Steffi Graf, who soon retired in 1999.
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