‘I’m 17 and just reached the French Open – but players refuse to practice with me’ | Tennis | Sport

A teenager who made her French Open debut this year revealed that she struggled to find willing practice partners before her opening match. Ksenia Efremova was handed a wildcard at Roland Garros to become one of the youngest players in the women’s main draw. She boasts plenty of junior pedigree, having won the Australian Open girls’ singles title earlier this year alongside a series of ITF-level results.

Efremova, who is ranked at 623 by the WTA, had never competed at a senior Grand Slam before losing to Sorana Cirstea in the opening round. Her only previous appearance at Roland Garros came in qualifying last year, where she was knocked out in the opening round. Ahead of the French Open, she took part in qualifying in Madrid and Strasbourg, claiming a notable win over Lulu Sun in the Spanish capital.

However, despite her status as a potential rising star of tennis, the 17-year-old saw her preparations disrupted by a lack of meaningful practice.

She explained that she was having trouble finding players who were willing to engage in full practice sets or even structured points.

In a press conference, Efremova said: “Sometimes it’s difficult to train with the girls because they don’t want to play points, they don’t want to play sets, because I am a wildcard.

“That has already happened to me. I don’t want to say no, but it has already happened that some girls didn’t want to because I was a wildcard.”

One player eventually agreed to hit with Efremova after some initial hesitation, only to get brushed aside in a practice set.

She added: “Afterwards there was even a situation where a girl came and said: ‘Okay, it’s fine’, and after that I beat her 6-2. It was good.”

The youngster was beaten in straight sets by Cirstea in the first round of the French Open after expressing hope that she would be able to spring a surprise.

“I really want to go far, show everyone I’m really capable of it, and tell myself I’m sure of myself. I’m full of confidence, I can do it,” she said before facing Cirstea.

“Plus, playing Roland Garros, it’s home, it’s France. I’m going to try to do what Liïs Boisson did last year, it wasn’t bad, honestly. But my aim is to play good matches, just play well.”