‘I fell three times’ – Rising star Mirra Andreeva reveals struggles on grass surface ahead of possible Wimbledon debut

Teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva has revealed that she fell three times in practice as she struggled to get to grips with the grass surface.

The 16-year-old won her first ever match on the surface on Tuesday when she overcame Spain’s Rosa Vicens Mas 6-3 6-1 in the opening round of Wimbledon qualifying.

“It’s pretty tough for me to get used to the grass – the moving is different, the ball bounces differently, the grass is slippery.

“I try to do small steps and I still feel dangerous on court. I feel a bit slow, but I think it’s OK.

“As we can see, it’s going pretty well for now.”

Andreeva’s older sister, Erika, 18, is also safely through the first round of qualifying after overcoming Dalila Jakupovic 3-6 6-4 6-4.

Erika has climbed into the top 150 which has enabled her to start playing WTA tournaments last year.

Mirra is enjoying sharing the experience with her sister.

“Before we played different tournaments and it was so tough,” she said.

“We spent much less time together. Now we’re almost always together. At big tournaments it’s nice to have all the family.

“I’ve been watching how she’s changed herself, how she’s growing. I think she has this success because she’s growing mentally.

“In her head she’s started to think more like an adult. Also, she’s such a fan of tennis. She watches tennis all the time and she has all her life.

“If you love tennis as much as she does, you don’t have a choice but to have good results, you know?”

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