Ksenia Efremova was not even three years old when her mother had already gotten the feeling that her daughter was going to be a star.

Efremova began to hit a basket of tennis balls one afternoon, as her older brother was on the tennis court.

Julia Efremova, a former professional tennis player, tells CNN that she “started to throw the balls herself.”

“I was stunned by the speed and precision with which all the balls flew over the net. Because she was so passionate about it, I decided that this was the right time to work for her.

“It wasn’t my choice. “She started her career as that.”

Efremova, now 12 years old, is considered one of the best young tennis talents. She has amassed more than 35,000 Instagram followers, and secured sponsorship deals with Nike, Yonex, and other brands.

She is currently a tennis coach at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academie in France, founded by Serena Williams’ current coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

Ksenia Efremova (with Julia Efremova, her mother and coach).

The academy hosts selection weeks throughout the calendar, where potential stars from around the globe come to showcase their talents and compete for a spot.

Mouratoglou says, “They come to be tested on the physical and the tennis, as well as the mental side.” We see them practicing. We see them practice and then decide whether or not we want to assist them.

“We cannot help all, but we do our best to help those who have the most significant potential. Our role is to find ways to help them reach their full potential and become the best version of themselves in the future.

“An amazing athlete”

Every player accepted into the academy has access to a coach and a personal trainer.

Mouratoglou also provides detailed debriefs on tournaments and competitive matches. He says that “the stress of competition” is the best way to see what areas of their game need development most.

Coco Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and many other rising stars have spent significant time at this prestigious academy.

Efremova was just nine years old when she arrived from Russia to attend the academy with her mother. Mouratoglou said he saw her potential immediately and referred to her as “huge.”

He says, “Ksenia is an incredible athlete. I believe she has all the potential.” She’s a fantastic athlete. You can see her on her social media. She can do full splits dance and can do everything else besides tennis.

Patrick Mouratoglou believes Efremova has an “incredible potential.”

“She moves exceptionally well. Because her mom is very tall, she’ll probably be tall. These shots are stunning. She is very precise in her technique. She is quick to take the ball. She’s aggressive. She is a strong competitor. It’s all great if you take a look at it all.

Julia believes that Julia’s daughter has been a multi-sport athlete, which is why she is so well-rounded.

It has provided Julia with various transferable physical skills, such as endurance and flexibility, that have helped her improve her game as a tennis player. However, Julia also said it was vital to ensure Efremova did not get bored playing too much tennis.

“In a few — maybe not many — years, I’ll see them play the juniors in the grand slams.”

Julia claims that her daughter was more interested in gymnastics than tennis, and she trains for up to three hours per day.

She explains that she wants to help parents worldwide who dream of building a professional tennis team for their children.

Ksenia, for example, played tennis only three times per week when she was young. I didn’t force it on her. She was forced to do other things, so she took swimming lessons, dance lessons, English lessons, and also learned break dancing. She was everywhere.”