French Open star who Andy Murray joked needed her eyes ‘fixed’ puts form down to his text

Mirra Andreeva joked that Andy Murray may be behind her French Open success after earning a statement victory in her Grand Slam debut.

Mirra Andreeva has admitted that Andy Murray could be behind her strong start at the French Open after qualifying and dropping just three games in her opening match. The 16-year-old previously said Murray was “beautiful”, prompting the three-time Major champion to tell her to get her eyes checked. And the pair have exchanged messages since, with Andreeva crediting them for her form.

Murray earned a new fan in teenage sensation Andreeva during her recent run at the Madrid Open, where she reached the round-of-16. The Russian gushed over the former world No 1 during one of her interviews, which caught the attention of Murray himself.

The world No 143 followed up on her statement week in Spain by qualifying for the French Open to make her Grand Slam debut. And she was even more impressive in her first main draw match, dispatching Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2 6-1 in just 56 minutes.

After a statement first match at a Major, Andreeva found herself discussing Murray again as she joked that a text from the Brit could be behind her success in Paris. “I didn’t see Andy Murray since Madrid because he is not here,” she said after her opening win.

The 16-year-old said she was excited to receive a reply from the world No 43 after his title win in Aix-en-Provence, and laughed as she revealed that he wished her luck for the French Open. “But after he won a Challenger, I texted him,” she continued.

“I said, ‘Congratulations.’ He actually answered me, so I was really happy about it. He said, ‘Thank you, and good luck in Roland Garros.’ Maybe that’s why I’m playing that good now.”