Mirra Andreeva: Why teen sensation is the player to watch at Wimbledon this summer | Tennis News

Mirra Andreeva could be the player to keep an eye on for the women at Wimbledon. The 17-year-old sensation has already reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros.

Andreeva became the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997 at Roland Garros before her teenage dreams were shattered by Jasmine Paolini.

The Russian stood frozen on the big stage as the 28-year-old Paolini became only the third Italian woman to reach the Paris final in the Open era.

Andreeva admitted that too many mistakes had cost her on the big points, but it is something she hopes to put right at Wimbledon, where she surprised everyone, including herself, by getting through qualifying and reaching the fourth round last year.

“To be honest, I could have played better, of course. I made a lot of mistakes. The mistakes I normally don’t make. Yeah, that took some getting used to,” Andreeva said after her heartbreak at the French Open.

“I had a hard time the whole game, but it is what it is. It’s exactly what happened today. I can take a lot of positive things out of these two weeks.”

Andreeva was born in April 2007 in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk and her older sister Erika, who is also a professional tennis player, were introduced to the sport by their mother.

They moved to Sochi and then to Cannes, France, to set up a training camp with coaches Jean-René Lisnard and Jean-Christophe Faurel.

She made her breakthrough at the age of 15 when she reached the girls’ final at the Australian Open in 2022.

She turned professional in 2023 and made her first major WTA impression on clay at the Madrid Open, after reaching the fourth round, and went on to make her debuts at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, propelling her to new heights of sporting stardom was pushed.

Erika has witnessed Mirra’s rise up close, and it was no surprise.

“I’ve seen how she’s changed herself, how she’s grown,” she said. “I think she’s having this success because she’s growing mentally. In her head she’s started to think more like an adult. And she’s such a fan of tennis too. She watches tennis all the time and she has that all her life done. If you love tennis as much as they do, you have no choice but to get good results, you know?”

Bringing a former champion on board

Andreeva began working with former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez in the spring after developing a special bond.

“We clicked immediately,” said Martinez, the former coach of now-retired Slam winner Garbine Muguruza. “It was as if we had known each other for years.”

Andreeva spoke about her impact after beating Aryna Sabalenka at this year’s French Open, as she gave an insight into her mentality on court. “I only see the game, I play where I want!” she said.

“I don’t have a plan. If I see a space, I hit it. My coach and I had ‘a plan’ today, but I forgot about it during the game. She (Martinez) gives me great support. Having her by my side is a great advantage for me.”

Mirra and Andy

Andreeva is a big fan of Andy Murray and during her breakthrough at the Madrid Open she admitted she was devastated when she saw the Scot in the players’ restaurant.

“When you sit here and take in all the stars, like Andy Murray, you see his face,” Andreeva said. “He’s so beautiful in life. Sorry, he’s so wonderful.”

She congratulated Murray after he won a Challenger title in France ahead of the French Open, with the two-time Wimbledon champion responding to the text.

“He answered me, so I was very happy about it,” Andreeva said. “He said, ‘Thank you, and good luck at Roland Garros.’

Andreeva was asked what was better: reaching the semi-finals of a Grand Slam or having her picture taken with Murray?

“Both are good. It was a nice moment at the beginning of the tournament because I had a gift. I had a retro camera. I thought, well, I have to take a lot of pictures,” she said.

“I made a list of who I wanted to take a picture with. Of course, Andy, he was first on the list because I mean, we’ve hooked up a few times but I don’t even have a picture with him yet. I I thought, ‘Well, we’ve got to fix that.’ I’d seen him a few times before, but he was warming up, he was eating. So I thought, ‘Well, next time.’

“Then I saw him just talking to his team that day. I thought, ‘Well, he’s busy, no, no, no.’ My coach said, ‘No, you go, you do it, and after we forget about it,’ about it. So she kind of pushed me towards him. Well, I finally got a picture with him.

After Andreeva won from match point down against Diane Parry in the third round of the Australian Open, Murray was quick to acknowledge her achievement.

“Andreeva is down 5-1 in the third round,” he wrote on X. “Commentator: ‘She really needs to work on her mental side of the game, she is too hard on herself when she loses.’ 30 minutes later Andreeva wins 7-6.

“Maybe she turned the game around because of her mental strength. Maybe she turned the game around because she is hard on herself and demands more of herself when she loses/plays badly? Winner.”

What are her chances at Wimbledon?

Her trademark backhand down the line proved just as formidable on the grass court last year as she stormed through qualifying before her fourth-round run against Madison Keys was ended in controversy.

Andreeva, who was aiming to become the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Anna Kournikova in 1997, hastily left the court after earlier captivating fans with a number of excellent displays.

She may show moments of irritability, but Andreeva is a year older and wiser and a good draw for the world. Number 23 could bring her closer to more history at the All England Club.

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

In the run-up to the third Grand Slam of 2024 – Wimbledon – you can see all the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete during the grass season.

• Mallorca Championships (ATP 250) – June 23-29
• Bad Homburg (WTA 500) – June 23-29

Watch the WTA and ATP Tours in 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, can be canceled at any time.