Andy Murray has long been one of the biggest champions of the women’s game, and is a great ambassador for tennis.
Both as a player and in retirement, his commitment to the cause is admirable.
He put himself on the line when others would not, and because of it, remains one of the most well-respected individuals within the sport.
In fact, Mirra Andreeva, the new Roland Garros champion, is one example of a current superstar who attributes their growth to Murray.
The Scotsman has always seen potential in the 19-year-old, and yesterday she realised it. This comes two years after he actually took to X, then Twitter, to defend the youngster from criticism about her mentality.
Andy Murray’s 2024 Mirra Andreeva prediction
For years since she emerged onto the scene, Andreeva was labelled as a supremely talented prodigy who could not keep control of her emotions.
This manifested in racket smashing, self-harm on court, and plenty of tears.
How many Grand Slams does Mirra Andreeva win in her career? 🏆
However, there has been a noticeable change this year, and it’s one that Murray almost predicted with his 2024 claim.
He wrote: “Andreeva down 5-1 in third. Commentator “she really needs to work on mental side of her game.. she’s too hard on herself when she’s losing.” 30 minutes later, 7-6 Andreeva wins.
“Maybe the reason she turned the match round is because of her mental strength. Maybe she turned the match around because she is hard on herself and demands more of herself when she’s losing/playing badly? Winner.”
CoCo Vandeweghe admitted she was surprised by Andreeva and her shift in mindset during the second week of Roland Garros. Murray, watching on from home, likely was not.
When Mirra Andreeva named Andy Murray as her inspiration
It should stand as a glowing endorsement of Murray’s stature within the game that, in 2023, Andreeva actually named the 39-year-old as her inspiration.
This came after he had texted her following such a strong run in Madrid, as she relayed: “He said ‘Thank you, and good luck in Roland Garros’. Maybe that’s why I’m playing that good now.”
Andy Murray is a top ten player of all time… Discuss
Speaking whilst at Roland Garros that year, she added: “When you’re here and take a lunch with all these stars, you see Andy Murray, you see his face and he’s so beautiful in life. He is so amazing.”
This prompted Murray to jokingly reply: “Imagine how good she’s going to be when she gets her eyes fixed!”
