Mirra Andreeva and Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon!
Mirra Andreeva seeks to replicate Maria Sharapova's historic Wimbledon victory with a curious coincidence. The former world No. 1 won the All England Club championship in 2004 at the age of 17 years, two months, and 14 days—the exact age Andreeva will be on the date of the final.
Andreeva will play her second main draw at Wimbledon. In her first attempt in 2023, she advanced from the qualifiers and reached the fourth round before losing to Madison Keys. Sharapova's first main draw at Wimbledon was similar, as she also fell in the fourth round in 2003, a year before claiming the trophy.
In the lead-up to her Wimbledon title, just weeks before at Roland Garros, Sharapova reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinals but was defeated by 14th seed Paola Suarez. Andreeva had a similar experience with a great run at the French Open, reaching the semifinals before being eliminated by Jasmine Paolini.
Surely, the experience gained from a deep run in a Grand Slam will be beneficial for Andreeva, who will debut against fellow teenager Brenda Fruhvirtova. If she advances, she will face a tough second-round match against the winner of Karolina Muchova versus Paula Badosa.
The comparisons between Andreeva and Sharapova are something the teenager has already commented on: “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,” she told ClayTennis in 2023.
The young Russian, who was taking her first steps on the Tour, mentioned that she would like to hear firsthand about Sharapova's experience of achieving success at Wimbledon at such a young age: “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.”
Although the tournament has yet to begin, Andreeva appears to be one of the players to watch at SW19. Should she manage to emulate Sharapova and reach the final, she would compete at 17 years, 2 months, and 14 days—the exact age the former world No. 1 was when she won her first Grand Slam title.
Mirra Andreeva and Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon!