Ksenia Efremova: 12-year-old Russian tennis prodigy has 'incredible potential,' says Patrick Mouratoglou

By Matias Grez, CNN

Updated 2022 GMT (0422 HKT) January 18, 2022

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(CNN)Ksenia Efremova hadn't even turned three years old and her mother already had the feeling her daughter was destined to become a star.

One afternoon when her older brother was practicing on the tennis court, Efremova picked up one of his rackets — as she would often do — and began hitting a basket of balls.«She started to throw the balls to herself,» Julia Efremova, a former professional tennis player, tells CNN. «I looked at it and I was amazed because all the balls were flying over the net and she did the motions perfectly. I said to myself that was the time to work with her because she had so much passion and she wanted it. »It was not actually my choice. She started her career like that."Read MoreNow 12 years old,