A text message from Andy Murray, according to Russian youngster Mirra Andreeva, inspired her to win her maiden Grand Slam match.
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| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
On Tuesday, Andreeva, 16, defeated Alison Riske-Amritraj, an American, 6-2, 6-1.
Andreeva described Murray as "beautiful" after a brilliant performance in Madrid last month and said that she texted him from Paris prior to the clay-court major.
"He thanked me and wished me luck at Roland Garros. Perhaps that's why I'm playing so well right now," she speculated.
The French Open main draw's youngest participant, Andreeva, took just 56 minutes to get to the second round.
Her relationship with Murray started when she rose to fame in the Madrid Open, where she also praised the former world number one from the United Kingdom as "amazing."
When she made it to the final 16 on her 16th birthday, she was questioned about what it was like to mingle with the most renowned athletes in the world.
"Andy Murray's face is so lovely in real life when you see him here at lunch with all these celebrities. She said, "He is really fantastic.
Imagine how good she's going to be after she has her eyes corrected, Murray tweeted in response, using his trademark humor.
Andreeva disclosed she had messaged 36-year-old Murray to congratulate him on winning the most recent ATP Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence after she defeated Riske-Amritraj.
She grinned, "I was pretty delighted about it since he actually responded to me.
Andreeva has been communicating with another seasoned player, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.
She referred to the Wimbledon and US Open finalist as one of her inspirations and expressed a desire to one day work out with the world number seven.
Jabeur expressed hope that they may play one another, but their match at Roland Garros would not take place until the semifinals.
"I can send her a photo that I've signed. It may be kept in her bedroom. I'm not sure. Someone mentions that for the first time today. But it's unique.
