Mirra Andreeva could be THE player to watch in the women’s draw at Wimbledon, with the 17-year-old sensation having already reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros.
Andreeva became the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist since Martina Hingis in 1997 at the French Open before her teenage dreams were shattered by Jasmine Paolini.
The Russian froze on the big stage as Paolini, 28, became the third Italian to reach the Paris final in the Open era.
Andreeva admitted too many mistakes cost her big points, but that’s something she hopes to correct at Wimbledon where she surprised everyone, including herself, by making it through qualifying to reach fourth tour last year.
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Andreeva talks about her rise to the top of women’s football
“Honestly, I could have played better, of course. I made a lot of mistakes. Ones that I don’t usually make. Yes, it was a bit difficult to accept,” Andreeva said after her Roland heartbreak -Garros.
“I struggled throughout the match, but that’s how it is. That’s exactly what happened today. I can take a lot of positives from these two weeks.”
Born in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk in April 2007, Andreeva and her older sister Erika, also a professional tennis player, were introduced to the sport by her mother.
They moved to Sochi and then Cannes, France, to establish a training base with coaches Jean-René Lisnard and Jean-Christophe Faurel.
At the age of 15, she made her breakthrough by reaching the women’s final of the 2022 Australian Open.
She turned professional in 2023 and made her first big WTA impression on clay at the Madrid Open, after reaching the fourth round, then debuted at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, propelling her to new heights of sporting stardom.
Erika had a front-row seat to Mirra’s rise, and it came as no surprise.
“I watched how she changed, how she grew,” she said. “I think she has this success because she is growing up mentally. In her head, she started to think more like an adult. Plus, she is such a tennis fan. She watches tennis all the time and she ‘ve been doing it all her life. If you love tennis as much as she does, you have no choice but to perform well, you know?
Join a former champion
Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez formed a special bond with Andreeva
Andreeva began working with former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez in the spring after forming a special bond.
“We clicked immediately,” said Martinez, the former coach of retired Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza. “It was like we had known each other for years.”
Andreeva spoke about her impact after beating Aryna Sabalenka at this year’s French Open, while revealing insight into her on-court mentality. “I just saw the game, I play wherever I want!” she says.
“I don’t have a plan. If I see a space, I hit there. My coach and I had a plan today, but I forgot during the match. She (Martinez) gives me a lot of support. having her by my side is an incredible advantage for me.”
Mirra and Andy
Andreeva is a big fan of Andy Murray and during her breakthrough at the Madrid Open, she admitted to being stunned when she saw the Scot in the players’ restaurant.
“When you sit here and look up to all the stars, like Andy Murray, you see his face,” Andreeva said. “He’s so handsome in life. Sorry, he’s so amazing.”
She congratulated Murray after winning a Challenger title in France before Roland Garros, with the two-time Wimbledon champion responding to the text.
“He actually responded to me, so I was really happy about that,” Andreeva said. “He said: ‘Thank you and good luck at Roland Garros.’
Andreeva was asked which was better, reaching a Grand Slam semi-final or taking a photo with Murray?
“Both are good. It was a good moment at the beginning of the tournament because I had a gift. I had, like, a retro camera. I was like, well, I have to take a lot of photos,” she declared.
“I made a list of who I want to take a picture with. Of course, Andy, he was first on the list because, I mean, we had a few interactions, but I don’t even have a picture with him I was like, “Well, we have to fix this.” I saw him a few times before, but he was warming up, he was eating, so I was like, “Well, next time.”
“Then that day, I saw him talking to his team. I was like, ‘Well, he’s busy, no, no, no.’ My coach was like, ‘No, you go , you do it, and then we forget about it’ So she kind of pushed me towards him. Well, finally, I got a picture with him.
After Andreeva won by a match point against Diane Parry in the third round of the Australian Open, Murray was quick to recognize her achievement.
“Andreeva lost 5-1 in third,” he wrote on lose.’ 30 minutes later, Andreeva won 7-6.
“Maybe the reason she turned the match around is because of her mental strength. Maybe she turned the match around because she is hard on herself and demands more from herself when she loses/plays badly?
What are his chances at Wimbledon?
Andreeva qualified and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in her tournament debut last summer.
Her iconic backhand down the line proved just as fearsome on grass last year as she won qualifying before her run ended in fourth-round controversy against Madison Keys.
Andreeva, who was seeking to become the youngest player since Anna Kournikova in 1997 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals, left the court in a hurry after captivating fans with exceptional performances.
She might show moments of petulance, but Andreeva is a year older and wiser and a good draw for world No. 23 could see her move closer to All England Club history.
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