Last year, Mirra Andreeva celebrated her 17th birthday with her first WTA 1000 QF. During an interview after her R32 match, when she was asked what she wanted for her birthday, she said, “The perfect gift for me would be a victory. So I’ll try to do everything for that.” Andreeva managed to fulfill her wish at that time by coming back from 5-2 down in the first set to beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the R16 of the Madrid Open. With that win, she also became the second-youngest player to reach a WTA 1000 QF since the format was introduced in 2009. In that same interview, she also mentioned, “My mom already bought me something. Yesterday I thought she spent some money on our credit card. So I’m super excited to see what she got me.” What are her plans for this year’s birthday, though?
In 2025, Mirra Andreeva has looked like a completely different player so far. She has already won two titles and currently has a win-loss record of 20-4 this season. Although she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka in the QF of the Madrid Open last year, this year she stunned everyone by defeating the world number one in the final of the Indian Wells Masters. What else could she have asked for more, right?
Interesting Fact: With her recent win at Indian Wells, she became the youngest champion at this tournament since Serena Williams (1999). Not only that, she was also the youngest player to defeat both world number one and number two in a single WTA event since 1990. No other player since Martina Hingis (1997) won consecutive WTA 1000 events.
Interestingly, after her title triumph at the Indian Wells, she even received a shout-out from his idol and basketball great, LeBron James. After hearing Andreeva share her thoughts on one of his old interviews, the four-time NBA MVP posted the clip of her interview on his IG stories with the caption, “Mirra, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Happy to have helped but honestly YOU did THAT!! All your hard work, drive, and dedication towards your craft! KEEP GOING!” James wrote this with the hashtag #striveforgreatness. So, perhaps the birthday present came a bit early for the teenager! Recently, in an interview, Andreeva was reminded of her turning 18 on April 29th and was asked what gifts she is expecting from her close ones this year.
In reply to that, Mirra Andreeva said, “I’m not really looking forward to my 18th birthday, because I don’t want to grow old! I don’t want to become an adult so soon. And I don’t really expect any gifts, because I hope that I will still be playing in Madrid at that time. I will try to make a gift for myself by playing there. And if I have to play on my birthday, I will try and win that match.” She further added, “I don’t know if we’re going to celebrate properly. But most likely we will because my dad will be turning 50 pm the same day. So maybe we’ll come up with something, go out somewhere. But I’m not sure there will be a huge celebration.“
Later on, she was also asked to share her thoughts on two of the biggest gifts that she has made for herself recently by winning the matches against Swiatek and Sabalenka at the Indian Wells. In reply to that, she added, “I like the fact that in every match Sabalenka plays, she is always aggressive and puts a lot of pressure on her opponents.” Andreeva believes this is something that she can learn from the world number one. What about the Pole? “As for Swiatek, I like how professional she is about everything. I’ve practiced with her and you can tell she is different. There is a lot to learn there.“
Mirra saying she likes how professional Iga is about everything..And that you can tell she’s different that way
Iga Natalia’s unquestionable aura pic.twitter.com/7uhwVHZNE9
— Gosia (@Gosia_CzBradf) April 9, 2025
Mirra Andreeva has always cherished these moments playing against the top players in the world. For example, last year she had wished to play against Paula Badosa at the Italian Open. Although she received her belated (and perhaps unexpected) gift that time, Andreeva lost that match to the Spaniard. However, talking about facing tougher opponents, she said, “I feel like when you face a good player, you become better and you’re always challenging yourself until the last moment.” Can Andreeva become a better version of herself in the rest of the season and clinch more big titles? Here’s what the experts have to say about the bright future of this teenager.
Tennis legends look quite optimistic about Mirra Andreeva’s future
When Mirra Andreeva won the WTA 1000 title in Dubai, American tennis legend Andy Roddick showered praise on the Russian by saying, “Mirra Andreeva is going to be number one in the world at some point.” He heaped praise on her serving abilities and incredible movements, and also hailed her coach, Conchita Martinez, for doing an amazing job in guiding this youngster.
Then, after that, when Andreeva won the Indian Wells title, Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs came up with a bold prediction. She said that she believes Andreeva is going to be a “perennial top-five player.” Currently, Mirra Andreeva is ranked 7th in the world, but looking at her current form, her fans can surely expect something bigger in the next few months.
Talking about bigger expectations, well, Serena Williams’ childhood mentor, Rick Macci, also shared a few words on this youngster after her impressive win over Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells. He tweeted, “Mentally she (Andreeva) is in a bubble like Sharapova was. Mentally cut and uses same Russian cloth of right here right now.“
Not only that, he also stated, “Andreeva barring injury will be a double-digit Slam champion and has the potential to be the Cream of the Crop of any Russian who got to the Top. Andreeva barring injury will be a double-digit Slam champion and has the potential to be the Cream of the Crop of any Russian who got to the Top.” He believes Andreeva is the most complete player inside/out, and she’s ready to “launch to multiple Grand Slams.” Do you agree with all these tennis experts, or do you think we should wait a bit more before labeling big things with Andreeva’s name?
The post “I Don’t Want to Grow Old,” 17-Year-Old Mirra Andreeva Sidelines Birthday Celebrations With Hawk-Eye Focus on Her Madrid Swing appeared first on EssentiallySports.
