The month of December is the month of exhibition matches in the world of tennis. Tennis players are starting to organize their preparations for the start of the season in unofficial tournaments around the world, such as the Open Bourg-de-Péage held last weekend.
The organization got the participation of the great revelation of 2023, Mirra Andreeva. At the age of 16, the Russian became a tennis prodigyas shown by the results that allowed her to finish the year in 57th place in the WTA ranking.
Well, Andreeva qualified for the final of the tournament, where she had to face Marta Kostyuk, a duel that did not take place due to political reasons.
And it was that Kostyuk, a Ukrainian, refused to confront Andreeva in protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukrainewhich continues to cause damage and death more than a year later.
“For reasons beyond our control and due to the geopolitical context in Ukraine, Marta Kostyuk cannot compete in the sixth edition of the Negometal Open. “We did everything possible to activate our network of professional players, but unfortunately there was very little time to find a replacement,” the organization said.
And in a little time, good The replacement is Yanis Ghazouni, a 23-year-old French tennis player ranked 1,145th in the ATP. and who regularly train in tournament facilities.
Ghazouni accepted the organization’s proposal and jumped on the court to face the young Russian, which he defeated with a score of 7-5, 6-2.
“I am very happy to be here. The atmosphere and the organization of the tournament is incredible. It was my first time to lose and they gave me the trophy. Hopefully this will be the last time“Laughs Andreeva, who just met the tennis elite in 2024.
Mirra Andreeva He said during his time he had to choose between going to Rafael Nadal’s Academy in Manacor or Jean-René Lisnard’s in Cannes in France and he chose the latter because “it’s closer.”
“We have two options, go to Rafa Nadal’s academy or to Cannes. Cannes was closer, so we tried to go there. I like this. All I can say is that I like it and that’s why we are there,” the Russian admitted.
Regarding his idols, the Russian mentions Roger Federer, as well as Rafa Nadal and he appreciated how the Spaniard overcame a foot injury in 2022 to win his fourteenth Roland Garros.
“I’ve always admired Federer and he’s my favorite player, but after Nadal wins Roland Garros in 2022… He impressed me a lot, because after an injury, he came back and won in Australia and France. After that I can say that I tried to copy him. “I was trying to imagine what he would do,” added the Russian.
Source: La Verdad
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