Rick Macci calls for Mirra Andreeva to stop competing against herself on court: "She goes from the Russian Rabbit to a Russian bad habit"

Mirra Andreeva has been touted by Rick Macci to be a future multiple Grand Slam champion, but there is one thing which could prevent this from occurring.

The 19-year-old is set to compete in a brace of finals in the Madrid Open. First up is the singles final against the inform Marta Kostyuk. The Ukrainian is yet to lose on clay in 2026 after picking up the title in Rouen and is into a maiden WTA 1000 final. This is the third time Andreeva has reached the climax event of this tournament, first on clay, and she will look to complete a hat-trick of titles at WTA 1000 level.

Tomorrow, she will stay in Madrid and once more team up with Diana Shnaider as she looks to win the women's doubles title. Against the number two seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, this will be a very tough prospect given their opponents won the Sunshine double very recently.

That will not stop the rampant Andreeva who has hit an extraordinary purple patch of form. An up and down start to the year saw her claim the Adelaide International title while early exits in big events saw her progress dampen with those WTA 1000 titles from last year defended unsuccessfully.

The transition from hardcourt to clay has been an inspired one. A late call-up for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, she went on to win the tournament against home hero Anastasia Potapova in a thrilling final. She then reached the semi-final of a stacked Stuttgart Open, losing to the number one seed and eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals. Following that, Andreeva is now one win away from collecting another 1000 points in the fourth WTA 1000 tournament of 2026, showcasing her flourishing potential on court.

Her recent brilliance has not gone unnoticed. Legendary coach Macci, who overviewed the progress of Grand Slam champions such as Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick, went onto X to share his high belief in Andreeva. However, there was a caveat to this: her emotional outbursts on court holding her back.

"Andreeva can win multiple grand slams if she all about the competition. When she competes against herself she goes from the Russian Rabbit to a Russian bad habit. She has the many gifts as I said but the key is staying positive in her head."

Numerous signs have been shown of this behaviour in 2026 alone. In the last-16 against Anna Bondar, she berated herself after losing the first set. "I’m not a champion. I’m not a champion. I will lose. I will lose," she stated before bursting into tears when getting over the finishing line. Bickering with her team in the quarterfinal against Leylah Fernandez followed as her team, including coach Conchita Martinez, looked to find a way to control her emotions.

Before the clay swing, there were some more dramatic scenes on court. She smashed her racket enroute to losing against Katerina Siniakova in the third round of her title defence at Indian Wells, swearing towards spectators in the crowd as she trudged off court. She continuously punched herself and burst into tears after losing an extremely dramatic match against Amanda Anisimova in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and the list goes on.

Such a bubbly character off the court, Andreeva is still needing to work on her emotions on court as she attempts to reach that next level.