"I really try not to focus on, 'Okay, I really want to win this tournament'" - Maiden Grand Slam still a long way off for Mirra Andreeva

Mirra Andreeva was at one point a set down against the world number 175 in her second round match at Roland Garros. Nevertheless, she managed to turn the tie around and come out on top 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in a convincing manner in the French Open.

Her opponent, Spanish qualifier Marina Bassols Ribera, was eyeing up the chance of an unlikely upset in her debut Roland Garros event. This was very much on when after a trio of breaks she had the chance to serve out the first set, doing so and leaving Andreeva under the cosh slightly.

From then on, Basslos Ribera won a grand total of two games as Andreeva was finally dialled in. She took 5-0 and 4-0 leads in the second and third set, not able to bagel her opponent but comfortably disposing of her in the end to set up a round three tie against Marie Bouzkova.

In truth, she was adamant that the start to the match was not at the standards expected, but was relieved to pull through and get the job done. "Not a very good start in the beginning — missing a lot, not taking great decisions on the court as well, and letting my opponent play well in the first set. So afterwards, I’m just super happy that things went well in the second and third sets," she said in her press conference.

Being a Grand Slam, there are a lot of courts in the facilities of Roland Garros. A total of 18 clay courts are utilised throughout the two weeks to hold the major action.

Andreeva, being one of the best players in the world, is predominantly on the main show courts like Court Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen. The Russian confirmed that she has played on all the big courts, and had a feeling that she has ventured on most of the outside ones despite being just 19-years-old.

"Well, I think I’ve played on almost every court. I’ve played on the three stadium courts, I’ve played doubles on Court 14, and I don’t really remember all the others, but I think I’ve played on most of them," she recalled.

"For me, there’s not a huge difference between the courts, but when I was practising before the start of the tournament, I felt like Court Simonne-Mathieu — the court I played on today — was a little bit different. So I didn’t really want to play on that court, but I feel like it was good that they put me there in the end because now I’ve got the feeling of that court as well. But overall, there’s not a lot of difference between the courts."

The four major tournaments are when the tennis players want to be peaking in terms of ability. They offer the most points, the biggest financial package and are the titles all tennis players want to secure.

Andreeva is yet to complete this feat, albeit her tennis career is still very young. With her potential skyrocketing even more after winning 17 of her 20 matches on clay this year, she is one of the contenders to win this year's title in Paris.

To win a Grand Slam, a lot of it is based on mentality and how you prepare yourself for the tournament in this crucial aspect of the sport. "Obviously, I feel like I’m playing well now and I’ve had a good clay season so far," Andreeva said.

"I never set expectations for myself about the result or about how I’m going to play, but every tournament I enter, I play to win. I think that if I have the right mindset and the belief that I can win or beat certain players, then I can play very well."

The finishing line is still a very long way away, and Andreeva knows that. "But I really try not to focus on, 'Okay, I really want to win this tournament.' I focus more on how I want to play a certain match and what I want to do on the court."