Mirra Andreeva beat
Ons Jabeur in splendid fashion at the Australian Open 2024. She was interviewed immediately after on-court. Her post-match reactions turned out to be as excellent as her tennis..
She was asked what the difference was compared to her last year's junior final. The response was surprising: "No! I just feel like i am a bit more mature that i was before. I just uh " With a question mark that. From herself. Then the interviewer exclaimed, you are only sixteen! "Well that's true but last year I was fifteen", she responded wittingly having everyone laughing in Rod Laver Arena.
You seemed to not have nerves beating a Top 10 player? "That's not true. I was really nervous before the match.", set the tone for Andreeva.
She also added before that moment that she probably played one of her best sets ever. She was surprised herself and said "I didn't it expect it from myself." "I just wanted to enjoy tennis, my time and .. I did."
Also, she came close to tears how much inspired she felt. She had seen Ons Jabeur play at an even younger age herself. "I had always watched the way her matches. I was always so inspired by the way she plays." And got emotional as she expressed her admiration for Ons Jabeur.
She also shared with the crowd that she had forced her coach to hold an Australian snake before the Australian Open as he was too afraid to do it. In the end they shared the burden together, she said.
The crowd was loving every bit of it as she answered every question instinctively and honestly. Her tennis had equally been copy-book material for coaches. It was breathtaking. Against a formidable opponent in Ons Jabeur, let's not forget, she almost lost no point on her own serve. The clean hits, the serving, the placement, the creativity, the pace, the legwork, .. The list was endless tonight. Inspiring herself, she truely was. All in yellow. A rising sun in women's tennis.