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Mirra Andreeva, the 16-year-old tennis prodigy, has returned to the Mutua Madrid Open, the site of her breakthrough performance last year. In an interview with Prakash Amritraj at the Tennis Channel Desk, Andreeva revealed that she has framed a comment from her childhood idol, Andy Murray, praising her mental strength.

Andreeva’s journey in Madrid last year was remarkable. As a wildcard ranked just inside the Top 200, she reached the fourth round, defeating Leylah Fernandez, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Magda Linette without losing a set. Her performance earned her the WTA’s most impressive newcomer award in 2023.

This year, Andreeva has continued to impress, overcoming similar challenges to those she faced last year. In her second-round match against Linda Noskova, she lost the first set but rallied to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. She also came from behind to defeat American Taylor Townsend in her opening match.

Andreeva attributes her success to her mental strength and her ability to think through difficult moments. “I’m trying to play using my brain,” she said. “I’m not trying to hit every ball as hard as I can. Maybe that helps me sometimes to think through hard moments.”

Andreeva’s maturity on the court is evident in her approach to the game. “I feel more mature even though there’s not much of a difference in my age,” she said. “Last year, I was hoping for some kind of miracle when I was playing against everybody, that on these pressure points they would give me something with their mistakes or something will happen for me to just win the match. Now I know and I’m sure that I will not be able to win a match without doing something myself.”

As Andreeva prepares to turn 17, she is excited about the future. “I’m just trying to always think in a positive way and that’s it,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to the next few years and seeing how far I can go.”