"I want to touch Roger Federer to see if he's real": Mirra Andreeva, Iga Swiatek, Zheng Qinwen turn Swiss' biggest fangirls as they reveal secret wish

Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva, and Qinwen Zheng fangirled over Roger Federer as they expressed their desire to witness him play live. The tennis stars were seen engaging in a lighthearted interview ahead of the BNP Paribas Open.

Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion who held the record for being the World No. 1 for 237 consecutive weeks (February 2, 2004, to August 17, 2008), retired from the sport in September of 2022. However, he has continued to be an inspiration for the young generation of tennis players.

The official social media handle of the BNP Paribas Open posted a video on their Instagram account of various tennis stars talking about players they want to see play live. Swiatek made her keen interest in seeing the tennis legend known, as she couldn't get an opportunity earlier.

"I would say Roger like I never had a chance [because] you know all these 'greats' they kinda retired before I was on tour" - said Swiatek. (0:13 onwards)

Zheng stated that she wanted to re-watch the former World No. 1 live.

17-year-old Mirra Andreeva on the other hand wanted to test if Federer existed in reality, by touching him.

"I would like to see Roger Federer because I think I came on tour a bit late so I haven't seen him in real life at all. At least to see him in real life, you know, to touch him to see if he is real so yeah that would be great," Andreeva said. [0:24 onwards]

Swiatek, Zheng, and Andreeva have all advanced to the next round of the WTA 1000 tournament at Indian Wells and are looking for a positive campaign in California.

Andreeva however came on tour as one of the top contenders of the tournament after her stellar performance at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

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Mirra Andreeva stunned the tennis world with a glorious run in Dubai

Mirra Andreeva with her Dubai trophy - Source: Getty

Mirra Andreeva clinched a shocking victory at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championship this year after defeating Dane Clara Tauson in straight sets.

She expressed her delight after winning during the post-match interview and said:

“This is incredible. I set a goal for myself to be in top 10 by the end of the year. It’s just February and I’ve made it. This is something incredible for me...I was hella nervous.”

She will again be facing Tauson in her next-round match at Indian Wells on March 9.