It was just over a year ago that Mirra Andreeva reached her first major semifinal, a moment that brought her close to tears after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in what was the biggest win of her burgeoning career. It marked a significant leap forward in her rapid ascent in the tennis world, a visible realization of a dream.
However, much has changed for the 18-year-old since that time.
On Monday, Andreeva, seeded No. 7, secured her spot in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon by defeating No. 10 Emma Navarro. She is now just one match away from reaching her second Grand Slam semifinal.
Yet, during this current deep run, the outward display of emotion has been notably absent. Andreeva, having recently completed her high school studies, exhibits the composure and tactical mindset typically seen in seasoned tour veterans. Her dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over Navarro showcased this maturity. It was her debut on the prestigious Centre Court, and while she later admitted to feeling `really nervous` upon noticing Roger Federer in the royal box, her play didn`t betray any anxiety. She efficiently claimed the first set in little over half an hour and closed out the match in just 75 minutes.
Perhaps the only moment hinting at her youth occurred after match point, when she seemed momentarily unaware the contest was over, leaving a slightly confused Navarro waiting at the net.
“I kept telling myself I`m facing break point and tried to tell myself I`m not the one who is up, I`m the one who is down,” Andreeva explained afterwards. “I was so focused that in the end I completely forgot the score. I`m happy I did it because otherwise I would be three times more nervous on the match point.”
While she may be the youngest player ranked in the WTA`s top 80, her consistent performance, including reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open last month and now replicating that at Wimbledon, confirms her status. Mirra Andreeva is no longer merely a promising talent; she is a star performing at the highest level, belonging firmly in the second week of major championships.
Her season has been nothing short of exceptional, achieving milestones that would be the envy of even established players. Following a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open in January, Andreeva became the youngest woman in history to win a 1000-level title in Dubai, and remarkably, the youngest to achieve this twice within weeks by winning again at Indian Wells. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 6 last month and is now considered a strong contender for the title at the All England Club. As the sole teenager to advance this deep into the tournament, she is the youngest woman to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Nicole Vaidisova in 2007, and the youngest to do so without dropping a set since Maria Sharapova`s winning run in 2004. Her next challenge on Wednesday is Belinda Bencic, representing the seemingly inevitable next step in her red-hot career.
Even those closest to Andreeva express surprise at the sheer speed of her progression, despite recognizing her potential early on.
“Everyone saw a couple of years ago that Mirra was already very good,” commented Daria Kasatkina, a frequent practice partner and mentor, after a match against Andreeva at the French Open. “I mean, the potential was always there, so it was just a matter of time when she was going to skyrocket. It was pretty fast.”
Her peers clearly believe her time is now.
“I don`t think she`s `promising` anymore,” stated Clara Tauson, whom Andreeva defeated in the Dubai final. “I think she`s already at the top of our game.”
While reaching the Wimbledon semifinals or a major final would be a first, Andreeva has rapidly grown accustomed to the significant occasions and the accompanying intense scrutiny.
At just 15, shortly after competing in the Australian Open junior final, Andreeva made a notable introduction on the main tour by reaching the fourth round of the 2023 Madrid Open as a wild card. By the close of that season, she had qualified for the main draw in all remaining majors, secured at least one win in each, and impressively reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. Her fearless playing style, strong self-belief, and engaging post-match interviews led to immediate comparisons with players like Coco Gauff, who is now 21 and a multiple major champion.
Behind the scenes, Andreeva continuously refined her game. In April of last year, she began a trial period with Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion who had previously coached former world No. 1s Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova. The collaboration quickly became official. Despite the 2024 French Open being only their fourth tournament together, the pair developed a noticeable easy rapport, often sharing jokes. Andreeva frequently mentions Martinez fondly and playfully in interviews, including during her on-court interview on Monday, where Martinez could be seen laughing. This dynamic clearly seems effective.
“I am very impressed by her maturity level,” Martinez commented last year. “She`s still 17, so she has those moments still when she is like a child. She plays games, jokes around and in the moments she needs to be serious, she can switch to that. That`s very important, I feel like she respects me and my work.”
After her fourth-round win, Andreeva expressed immense gratitude for their partnership, feeling it was destiny. “I feel like now having her in my box, especially during this tournament, is also super special because she can give me and share with me so much experience,” she noted. “She`s a great supporter.”
Just months after joining forces, Andreeva claimed her first WTA title at the Isai Open in July 2024. Weeks later, she earned an Olympic silver medal alongside her frequent doubles partner, Diana Shnaider. By the end of 2024, she was ranked No. 16 with the goal of breaking into the top 10, which she achieved by February.
“Once I did that, everyone started to ask me, `What is your next goal?`” Andreeva told reporters in March. “And I had no idea. The only thing I had to say, to try to answer the question, was top five. So that`s what I`m going to try and do now I guess.”
Following her victory on Monday, projections indicate she will reach No. 5 in next week`s rankings, with potential to climb as high as No. 3 depending on tournament outcomes.
When Andreeva, then unseeded and ranked No. 38, defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open quarterfinals, some attributed the upset partly to a stomach issue Sabalenka was reportedly experiencing. Sabalenka required medical attention during the match and did not appear to be at peak performance, leading some to downplay Andreeva`s victory.
However, Andreeva conclusively proved her ability to defeat a fully healthy Sabalenka, then the world No. 1, during the Indian Wells final in March. Andreeva triumphed with a comeback win, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, to secure the trophy. While Sabalenka cited playing poorly as the reason for her loss, Andreeva`s talent and mental strength were undeniable throughout the match.
That significant win further elevated her profile, capturing the attention of figures like Maria Sharapova, her childhood idol, and LeBron James, whose interviews Andreeva has credited with helping her mindset. “Happy to have helped but honestly YOU did THAT!!,” James commented on Instagram. “All your hard work, drive and dedication towards your craft! KEEP GOING!”
Sabalenka, now 27, was gracious in her concession, acknowledging Andreeva`s support team in both her on-court speech and later in her news conference. “I can see she has her family who is helping her with, I`m sure, a lot of decisions,” Sabalenka remarked. “She has Conchita, [who] is [a] really experienced person and very nice person. She doesn`t have the abusive things. Yeah, definitely she got the right team much earlier [than I did], and that`s why she`s so successful right now.”
Her team now includes a sports psychologist, whom she began working with this season and consults regularly by phone.
While a support team plays a crucial role, ultimately, the player is alone on court. Andreeva has spoken about turning to her team when pressure mounts or after a difficult practice, finding that discussing her concerns with Martinez and the rest of the group helps alleviate them. “When it`s hard, I just talk to my team, and it gets easier,” she stated.
In recent months, she has highlighted her improved positive attitude on court and her commitment to “always fight for every point no matter what happens.” Andreeva considers her mental growth as significant as her physical and technical improvements. Beyond technical advice, Martinez also provides vital motivation. “I think that she knows what to tell me and how either to calm me down or how to pump me up, so it depends how I feel,” Andreeva said during the French Open. “I think that she knows what to do to make me feel better.”
Andreeva also frequently has her older sister Erika, currently ranked No. 106, present at tournaments, and the sisters often share updates on social media. (Erika lost in the first round of qualifying at Wimbledon.)
Over the past decade, several young women have emerged on the WTA Tour, achieving significant success shortly after transitioning from the junior circuit. Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier, and unseeded Jelena Ostapenko became the 2017 French Open champion days after turning 20. However, maintaining consistency has been a challenge for many such breakthrough stars.
While the landscape has improved, the difficulty young players face in replicating initial successes and staying at the top is well-documented. Yet, few players have demonstrated greater week-to-week consistency this season than Andreeva. When asked about the early eliminations of other top players, she stated she was focused solely on herself. “I didn`t have a thought that, I don`t know, maybe it`s like a curse or something, that it can go after me,” she said. “So I was just focusing on myself, focusing on what I have to do on the court. That`s what I`m going to focus on until the end of the tournament. I`m just going to try and be the best version of myself every match I play.”
Following her victory on Monday, she holds the distinction of having won the second-most matches on tour this year, surpassed only by Sabalenka.
Currently ranked No. 13 in doubles, she has also been remarkably effective alongside Diana Shnaider. The pair have claimed two titles this year, including the Miami Open (a 1000-level event), reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, and the semifinals at the French Open. Their run at Wimbledon ended in the round of 16 on Sunday.
In singles play at the All England Club, Andreeva`s performance has been nearly perfect. She has advanced to the quarterfinals without dropping a single set. Against Hailey Baptiste in the third round, she executed her game plan masterfully, blending aggression with patience for a decisive 6-1, 6-3 victory in 78 minutes. “I felt like I was playing great,” she commented after that match.
Before their meeting on Monday, Emma Navarro praised Andreeva`s power and serve, adding that she “can also get scrappy.” Navarro`s assessment proved accurate. Andreeva played an exceptional match, utilizing her full arsenal, including a dominant first serve, and taking control from the outset. She broke Navarro in the third and fifth games of the first set and converted six out of seven break point opportunities throughout the match.
“She`s a really tough player,” Navarro said post-match. “I think, you know, all around she just has a really complete game. I think she has the power on the serve. She`s good off the ground from the baseline. She`s really tough when points extend and things get scrappy. You know, she`ll underspin or throw the ball up in the air. Even when you feel like you`re in a good position to win the point, you always have to hit an extra ball or two.”
This victory marked Andreeva`s 10th career win against a top-10 ranked player, making her the youngest player to reach this milestone since Maria Sharapova in 2005.
Andreeva is now set for her third major quarterfinal appearance, and her first at Wimbledon. While she experienced a surprising loss in the French Open quarterfinals last month to a qualifier, a match where she showed rare signs of nerves, Andreeva believes she learned valuable lessons from the experience. “You play tournaments every week; it`s not possible that you win every tournament,” she noted last week. “So you just learn how to deal with losses. Sometimes it`s easier, sometimes it`s harder. For example, at the French Open it was super hard to recover. It took me a couple of days, but I took a lot of positives from those weeks.”
However, achieving her goal of reaching the semifinal will be a formidable task against the resurgent Belinda Bencic. Due to Bencic`s return from maternity leave at the end of 2024, the two have never met on tour before. Bencic, a former world No. 4 and Olympic gold medalist, has had a stellar season and navigated a challenging draw at Wimbledon, including defeating No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round. She is also aiming for her second major semifinal.
This quarterfinal match presents a significant opportunity for both players.
Yet, shortly after her win on Monday, Andreeva seemed less focused on the upcoming match and more like a typical teenager excited about celebrity sightings (Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Lily Collins currently top her list) and discovering the Wimbledon “Last 8 Club” with lifetime benefits.
And, she couldn`t help but express pride in her performance, both on Monday and throughout the tournament – a positive takeaway she`ll carry regardless of Wednesday`s outcome.
“Last year on grass I really struggled with finding the right rhythm and finding the right tactics, how to play on grass and what to do,” Andreeva reflected. “I`m just happy that this year I found the rhythm, I`ve managed to come back and get my confidence back again by winning more and more matches.”
“I feel like last year my relationship with grass, I didn`t really miss it. This year of course we`re back to a great relationship and good vibes. I`m just happy that I`ve managed to find the right way to play on grass.”
