Mats Wilander was convinced about something relating to Mirra Andreeva after her Roland Garros title win.
Andreeva beat Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 in just one hour and 22 minutes to claim her first Grand Slam title in Paris.
The 19-year-old has received many messages of support following her Roland Garros victory, with even five-time major champion Maria Sharapova messaging Andreeva.
Another multiple-time Grand Slam champion in Wilander has also commented on Andreeva’s victory, as he made a bold claim about her win in the final.
Mats Wilander claims Mirra Andreeva knew she would beat Maja Chwalinska after 20 minutes
Despite it being her first Grand Slam final, Andreeva was the overwhelming favourite to win the title against world number 114 qualifier, Chwalinska.
The two players traded breaks in the opening four games, before Andreeva took control of the match after breaking Chwalinska’s serve at 3-3.
This is around the point that Wilander claimed Andreeva knew she would win the final, with the Swede convinced that she knew the title was hers after 20 minutes, even though he knew she would not admit it.
“She has got it done at 19 but I do think, and she will never admit this, so I am putting words in her mouth,” Wilander said live on TNT Sports. “She knew that she was going to win this match after 20 minutes, I am convinced.
“When it was 4-3 in the first set I think she realised this is my match to win and this is my match to lose and she sailed through it. It seemed like she was a little more patient [after that point].
“In the beginning it was a bit more, what am I doing here? She hit a couple of double faults and it was difficult to serve in the wind but then she calmed down and figured out how to play, especially with the wind. I think she for two games in a row, 3-2 down in the first set, and it went to 4-3 and that was it for me.”
How many Grand Slams does Mirra Andreeva win in her career? 🏆
What is next for Mirra Andreeva after her French Open win?
Andreeva is now a Grand Slam champion just weeks after her 19th birthday, and she will also be rewarded in terms of her ranking.
After winning the Roland Garros title, Andreeva will climb back up to world number six in the rankings, which is just one off her previous career-high.
Perhaps more notably, Andreeva has risen all the way up to first in the race to the WTA Finals, and is now in contention to end the season as world number one.
Maja Chwalinska must surely now be given a Wimbledon wildcard! 🍓
Andreeva will look to continue her momentum during the grass court season, where she is scheduled to start at the stacked Berlin Open, which features nine of the top 10 WTA players.
She is also entered into the Bad Homburg Open in the week following, before Andreeva returns to Wimbledon, where she reached the quarter-finals last year.
