Russian tennis prodigy Mirra Andreeva’s motivational tactic raises eyebrows

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Russian tennis prodigy Mirra Andreeva was the talk of the Australian Open as she got as far as the fourth round of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
The 16-year-old topped Bernarda Pera, No. 6 Ons Jabeur and Diane Parry before losing to No. 9 Barbora Krejcikova in three sets. However, it was Andreeva’s actions in the win over Parry that caught the eyes of the tennis world.
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Andreeva was down 1-6 to Parry and needed an epic comeback to win the match. And she did it by winning the last two sets, 6-1 and 7-6. She was also seen with a bite mark on her arm as she got back into the match.
Russia’s Mirra Andreeva appears to have a bite mark on her arm during her third-round match against France’s Diane Parry at the Australian Open. (Reuters/Edgar Su)
British tennis star Andy Murray reacted to Andreeva’s performance on X and pushed back on a remark a commentator made about her mental toughness.
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“Maybe the reason she turned the match round is because of her mental strength,” Murray wrote. “Maybe she turned the match around because she is hard on herself and demands more of herself when she’s losing/playing badly? Winner.”
Russia’s Mirra Andreeva reacts during her fourth-round match against the Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova. (Reuters/Tracey Nearmy)
Andreeva was delighted to hear that Murray was watching her match.
“Honestly, I didn’t really think that he would watch a match, then after he would tweet, he would comment something,” she said, per GB News. “Honestly, I will try to print it out somehow. I don’t know. I will put it in a frame.
“I will bring it everywhere with me. I will maybe put it on the wall so I can see it every day.”
Russia’s Mirra Andreeva returns a shot during her third-round match against France’s Diane Parry. (Reuters/Edgar Su)
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Andreeva may be eliminated, but she proved she could hang with some of the best in the sport.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.