While she was booked on a flight later Sunday night, Efremova still had time to enjoy one key aspect of Melbourne culture.
“So I had already time to visit Melbourne Zoo. It was very nice. I saw a lot of gorillas, which I made some good video. I was happy with that,” she revealed.
The junior AO champion now has her sights set on the WTA Tour but knows she has to pick her tournaments wisely because of age restrictions on juniors.
“Yeah, for sure, definitely I would play some pro tournaments more. The thing is … they have limitation of playing unlimited tournaments,” she said.
“So for sure I’m going to continue to play Grand Slam juniors, some big tournaments, and more focus on the pros. Now I’m going to, for example, play 125K [tournament] in Paris, WTA, which is going to be a good tournament.”
Currently ranked No. 583 on the WTA tour, Efremova already has huge ambitions for 2026 and beyond.
“To be ready for the next year, my goal is to become top 200 to enter the [qualifications], you know, of the Grand Slams and, of course, of all other tournaments,” she said.
The daughter of former professional tennis player Julia Efremova and former amateur player Alexey Efremov, she has been in the spotlight from an early age.
Training at the world famous Mouratoglou Academy since 2019, Efremova was competing in the 14-year-old age group as an 11-year-old, winning the Tim Essonne Cup, one of the most prestigious trophies in the under 14 circuit, in 2022.
Now a junior AO champion and having won 27 of her last 29 matches, Efremova is a player on the rise and one to earmark as a future star of the game.
