Is Mirra Andreeva ‘The new Maria Sharapova‘? Well, the 17-year-old tennis sensation recently claimed the biggest victory of her career by defeating world number 2, Aryna Sabalenka, in the QF of the 2024 French Open. Her incredible rise in the tennis world has now started to remind the fans of a young Sharapova, who broke extraordinary records at a very young age. She became the world number one for the first time in 2005 at the age of just 18. Can Mirra Andreeva have a similar historic moment in Paris this year?
A few months ago, Maria Sharapova had already predicted Andreeva’s “bright future” and the 17-year-old is now making Maria Sharapova’s prediction come true! With her emphatic triumph over Sabalenka, Andreeva has now become the youngest women’s singles Grand Slam semifinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997. Not only that, she is now also the youngest to defeat the Top 2 opponent in a women’s singles Grand Slam event since Jelena Dokic in 1999. Mindblowing?
Maria Sharapova already knew this girl was something special! During an interview with WTA, she was asked to name a player whom she thinks will have a breakout season in the women’s tour this year. The 37-year-old Russian tennis legend said, “This is a tough one. I want to say Mirra Andreeva will have a phenomenal year. I followed a little bit of her matches in 23’ and I think she has a strong attitude [and] she has the game to back it up. Genuinely, just like her approach and her sensibility in the game. And I think she has a very bright future ahead of her.“
Mirra Andreeva is currently ranked 38th in the world, but don’t be surprised if she makes it into the Top 20 in a few week’s time. Per live WTA rankings, she’s already at no. 23!
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Andreeva has already reached three QF previously this year and now after defeating Sabalenka, she has also earned her third Top win in her career. All of those victories came in this year itself.
Maria Sharapova won 36 titles in her career including 5 Grand Slam triumphs. The 17-year-old has already won 6 ITF titles in her career so far. The future is definitely bright! But what does she think about her comparison with the Russian tennis legend?
Although Andreeva’s playing style is quite different from that of Maria Sharapova, her incredible performances at such a young age are bound to remind us of her compatriot. Mirra Andreeva is a big fan of Maria Sharapova, but she now just wants to follow her own path. “People may say, perhaps, that I’m following her path and doing the same as her, but I don’t focus on that. I have my own career, my own life, I will only do my best to create a great career. I watch her, just as I watch a lot of the rest of the field,” Andreeva said.
The Russian prodigy is just two steps away from clinching her first major title. But before that, once during an interview with CLAY, she revealed that she wanted to know a thing or two from Maria Sharapova. She said, “I would ask Maria what her feeling was like when she won her first Grand Slam at 17. Then I would want to know other things. But the first thing would be to know what she felt after she won Wimbledon in 2004.“
Surely, winning a Grand Slam title will be at the back of her mind now. But can she defeat Jasmine Paolini in the SF of the 2024 French Open?
