"We thought it was a joke": ATP No. 1146 who faced Mirra Andreeva at France exhibition lays bare what transpired in the lead-up to the bizarre clash

On Sunday, December 17, the tennis world was left astounded when prodigy Mirra Andreeva took the court against a man, Yanis Ghazouani Durand, in her final match at the 2023 Negometal Open de Bourg-de-Peage exhibition event in France. The ATP No. 1146 has now reflected on their duel and opened up on what transpired in the lead-up to the match.

16-year-old Mirra Andreeva of Russia booked her spot in the Negometal Open final by defeating Russian-born French player Varvara Gracheva. She was originally scheduled to play Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the title clash. Kostyuk, who was roped in for the match after Donna Vekic’s injury-related withdrawal, however, refused to share the court with the Russian, given their countries’ on-going conflict.

It is worth noting that Kostyuk had agreed to take on Andreeva on the condition that there would be no handshake at the net, as has been the practice during the Russia-Ukraine geopolitical crisis. But the World No. 33’s decision was allegedly met with backlash from her home country, following which she pulled out of the match. She was thus replaced by men’s tennis player Yanis Ghazouani Durand, who was apparently the only player available at short notice.

Ghazouani Durand, a player at the club, recently touched upon the bizarre incident. He revealed that he was initially supposed to be Mirra Andreeva’s hitting partner ahead of the final.

“Around 11:15 I had to play with Andreeva as sparring. But at 10:30, I am told that I will surely play against Andreeva. After Kostyuk's withdrawal, I was told that perhaps it was the only solution,” the World No. 1146 said during his interview with TennisActu.

The Frenchman added that the sudden decision put pressure on him and that he assumed the organizers were joking.

“It put a lot of pressure on me. In the morning, I didn't wake up for that,” he said, smiling. “I'm a volunteer so I was making pancakes,” he added. “At first, I didn't really believe it, we thought it was a joke. But I quickly understood that seeing their faces, it was not a joke.”

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"I didn't know what to expect" - Yanis Ghazouani Durand on facing Mirra Andreeva

Mirra Andreeva won the WTA Newcomer of the Year award in 2023

Mirra Andreeva was undaunted despite the bizarre situation. The 16-year-old posed a tough challenge to Yanis Ghazouani Durand, but ultimately went down 5-7, 2-6 against the 23-year-old. Nonetheless, she was awarded the winner’s trophy.

In the aforementioned interview, Ghazouani Durand shared his on-court experience against the budding WTA player.

“Sometimes in training we play against girls, but there is nothing close to a match. For me, it was a first, and in front of a lot of people, which very rarely happens to me. Plus, it was announced to me 2 hours before the match so, it was very strange,” he said. “Arriving on the pitch, I didn't know what to expect, easy, difficult, impossible... I tried to play as usual but it's not easy.”

Ghazouani Durand compared the WTA No. 57 to his male colleagues. Recalling his quarterfinal loss to World No. 96 Arthur Rinderknech at the event, he said that there was a noticeable difference in the level of power.

“The power and physical qualities are what differ the most. Already, Arthur is bigger, his serve goes much faster, everything is faster in the men's top 100. Everything is more complete.”

The Frenchman, however, admitted that winning against Mirra Andreeva was no piece of cake.

“There is a big difference but it was still hard to win against Andreeva who played very well,” he noted.