Teenage tennis sensation Mirra Andreeva was left ‘freaked out’ by a fan following a bizarre interaction at the US Open on Monday.
During a break in Andreeva’s women’s doubles match, the 18-year-old was seated on the bench alongside her partner Diana Shnaider as the two discussed the game.
However, as they were sat there, one fan attempted to get the attention of the Russian star and was seen calling to her from off the court.
In a clip that has gone viral on social media, the man could be seen leaning over the barricade and shouting Andreeva’s name.
The 18-year-old eventually turned around. The man then uttered another sentence however it remains unknown as to what he said to the teenager.
He flashed a smile before a visibly uncomfortable Andreeva turned back around in bemusement. The man swiftly made an exit after the awkward interaction.
The Russian then turned to Shnaider, who had an equally puzzled look upon her face.
The two burst into laughter over the fan’s bizarre behavior and remained chuckling for the rest of the clip.
The incident was posted onto X, with the caption reading: ‘this was creepy asf [crying emojis] mirra is freaked out’.
Thankfully, the fan’s comments didn’t appear to affect either Andreeva or Shnaider, who brushed it off and went on to beat Shuko Aoyama and Wang Yafan 7-5, 6-2.
The bizarre interaction comes amid a string of concerning fan incidents. A Polish businessman sparked controversy after stealing a player’s cap that was intended for a young fan – before one fan attempted to steal something from Jannik Sinner’s bag.
The Italian had just secured his spot in the quarter-finals of the tournament in New York City and packed up his tennis gear before heading back to the locker room.
Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion, was about to leave the court when he walked over to fans in the front row to hand one of them a towel.
As he did so, Sinner then paused to take a selfie with another supporter.
Sensing his opportunity, the daring fan can be seen leaning over and starting to try and pull the zip down on his bag.
Fortunately a security guard quickly noticed what was going on and swatted the fan’s hands away before he got into Sinner’s bag.
Sinner quickly turned around to see what was going on and the fan quickly pulled his hands back and looked embarrassed he had been caught.
It is not the first time during this year’s US Open that a fan has got too carried away in trying to get items from a star player.
