Russia’s rising women’s tennis star Mirra Andreeva has talked about the secret recipe to her success. The 16-year-old who was named the Newcomer of the Year for her massive jump in the rankings, has revealed that she watches a lot of tennis when not playing and tries to incorporate the learnings. Andreeva said that she watches the likes of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz and tries to imitate what they do on the court.
Notably, Mirra Andreeva has had a fabulous start to the season. She made it to the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International. Andreeva backed this start with a gripping performance at the 2024 Australian Open. The 16-year-old beat two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur in her second-round match in Melbourne.
Andreeva registered one of her best wins against Jabeur. In her third-round match, Andreeva impressed even more as she made a comeback against Diane Parry. She even received praise from Andy Murray for not giving it up till the end. Now, when Andreeva was asked how she manages to pull off such wins at such a young age, she attributed it to her watching a lot of tennis.
Maybe I watch tennis a lot! So, maybe that's why I kind of improve my skills everywhere- my volleys, my finishing shots. Because I watch Djokovic, I watch Alcaraz, I watch everyone. So, I like to watch tennis and sometimes I see what they do on the court and I try to try it in practice or on the court when I play a match. Mirra Andreeva said to The AO Show.
Mirra Andreeva climbing up the ladder really quickly
Mirra Andreeva has been a revelation in women’s tennis. The 16-year-old is climbing the ladder of success really quickly. As already mentioned, Andreeva was named the Newcomer of the Year for her massive jump in the WTA rankings.
Andreeva leaped from No.405 to No.46 in 2023 on the back of her impressive performances throughout the season. While she reached the Australian Open girls’ final, Andreeva enjoyed a Round of 16 run at the WTA 1000 event in Madrid, defeating two Top 20 players in the process.
The 16-year-old Russian is currently ranked at the 35th position. All these big strides have been within a year and Andreeva is only getting better every day. The straight-set win over her idol Ons Jabeur was an example of how far Andreeva has come.
It is to be seen how the youngster gets to the point where a Grand Slam title won’t be a distant dream. With enough time on her plate, Andreeva might become one of the youngest players to win a slam if she does it this year.
More must-reads: