LeBron, Federer inspire Mirra to historic win

Inspired by LeBron James and Roger Federer, Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva wrapped up a fairytale week in Dubai by becoming the youngest-ever WTA 1000 champion with victory over Clara Tauson on Saturday.

After ousting three Grand Slam winners, including second-seeded Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova, en route to the final, Andreeva ended Tauson's own dream run at the tournament with a 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory against the Dane.

It was a performance that didn't just earn Andreeva a maiden WTA 1000 trophy, but also secured her top-10 debut with the Russian rising to a career-best No 9 in the WTA rankings on Monday, making her the first 17-year-old in the WTA's Top 10 since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007.

Andreeva admitted she did not feel her best on court during the final, but drew inspiration from interviews she watched of NBA legend James talking about how champions can find ways to win even without their A-game.

"I just told myself, 'you can either let that negativity come into your head and kill you, or you can choose to be 100 percent mentally and fight for every point, and if something doesn't go your way, well OK fine, you forget about it and you play one point at a time'," said Andreeva.

"I've been listening to a lot of LeBron James interviews, and he said that, 'it's easy to be confident and to play good when everything goes your way, but what makes you a champion is when you're giving your best when you don't feel great'. So that's what I tried to do today."

Andreeva also revealed that she has been watching highlights from Roger Federer's 2017 Australian Open final victory over Rafael Nadal before her matches last week, taking cues from the Swiss great.

"I was watching some highlights. I was, like, 'damn, how can he play like this? This is something extraordinary'," she said.

Tauson had been a giant slayer herself in Dubai, knocking out world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the biggest final of her career.

The 22-year-old entered the clash with Andreeva leading the tour with 15 match wins so far this season.

She was looking to add a second title to her tally in 2025, and fourth overall, but Andreeva had other ideas, as she overcame her big-hitting opponent in one hour and 46 minutes of all-court prowess.

In the youngest WTA 1000 final since the category was introduced in 2009, Andreeva played a near-perfect opening-set tiebreaker to take the lead after 60 minutes of play.

'I'd like to thank me!'

She upped the ante in the second set, breaking twice for a 5-1 advantage, and served out the win at the first time of asking.

During the trophy ceremony, Andreeva congratulated Tauson and thanked her coach Conchita Martinez and her family for their support. The affable teenager then surprised the crowd by paying credit to herself.

"Last but not least, I would like to thank me. I know what I have been dealing with, so I want to thank me for always believing in me, I want to thank me for never quitting and always dealing with the pressure," said Andreeva.

"Today it was not easy, but I chose to be there 100 percent, so I thank myself for that."

Besides the 1,000 ranking points she received for winning the Dubai crown, Andreeva pocketed $597,000 in prize money, which she says she will hand over to her father, given she is still 17 and doesn't manage her own finances.

The Russian had set a goal for herself before the start of the season to finish the year ranked in the top 10 — a target she has now checked off her list in just the second month of her campaign.

Tauson confessed she ran out of steam at the end of a taxing week, and revealed she had been spending almost three hours each day with the tournament physiotherapists to deal with various physical issues.

"I can't tell you where it doesn't hurt right now," said the Dane.

AFP