Andy Murray snubbed for Roger Federer despite 'beautiful' meeting with tennis star

Two years after swooning over , world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva admitted was her idol. In 2023, the Russian made headlines when she said Murray was "beautiful" after meeting him at the Madrid Open.

The 18-year-old is making waves on the women's tour, but her candid remarks on Murray's looks had fans, and even the man himself, raising eyebrows. She spoke about a past encounter where she met the Scot in the Spanish capital.

Andreeva gushed about the Brit, saying in 2023, he was "beautiful" after catching sight of him. Her comments amused Murray, who could not resist a classic bit of self-deprecation online.

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Fast forward two years, and it seems she holds his former rivals in higher regard on the court. In 2023, she said: "The atmosphere here (Madrid) is so special.

"When you are here and you take lunch with all these stars... you see and you see his face, he's so beautiful in real life. He is so amazing. The atmosphere to be here amongst all these players is just incredible."

To say the Scot was taken aback and mildly confused by the comments were an understatement. Taking advantage of the opportunity to showcase his dry humour, Murray went on X and said: "Imagine how good she's going to be when she gets her eyes fixed [laughing emoji]."

When asked to list her idols again, Murray appeared to have fallen behind in the pecking order of the budding tennis star. She said: "My tennis idol has always been Roger Federer. Then, of course, there was Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray... Also, Marat Safin.

"There are many players I've admired and who have inspired me. I dream of meeting them. I met Rafa here last year, but I didn't get to talk to him. I'd also like to meet Roger; I hope that will be possible."

The young prodigy shone brightly at the recent Madrid Open, dispatching the likes of Marie Bouzkova, Magdalena Frech and Yuliia Starodubtseva. Her tournament in Madrid would be stopped by Coco Gauff, who beat her 7-5, 6-1 in the quarter-finals.

Andreeva holds three WTA Tour singles titles to her name, coupled with an impressive run to the semi-final of the French Open when she was only 17.

Now, she's setting her sights on even loftier achievements. Discussing her ambitions, Andreeva said: "Certainly the beginning of the clay season hasn't been that easy for me. Normally after a few weeks, I start to feel better and play better.

"Obviously last year, I'm not saying I came here and played unbelievable tennis straightaway, but I was playing well enough to win matches... against good players, top players.

"Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give [the French Open] a go. But I also have ambitions of competing for Wimbledon titles and that sort of stuff. I know that sitting here today that probably doesn't sound realistic, but I do believe that that's a possibility."