Mirra Andreeva returned to form last week after injury woes reaching the Quarter-Finals of the 2024 Madrid Open after a barren time due to injury after her 2023 breakout. But this has got the tennis world purring again including Andy Roddick.
On the latest episode of Served, Roddick said that she shares a similar composure to that of Novak Djokovic and that compared to other 17 year olds, they all have a superpower when they're going to be great. This is compared to Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker who were all teen prodigies like the Russian.
Albeit she is having a tougher time in Rome, at time of writing she is on the verge of defeat to Paula Badosa who is looking for a resurgence again when it looked like her career was on the verge of being under threat. She admitted recently she needs injections constantly to keep her career alive but isn't giving in.
"Mirra Andreeva is a rockstar, just turned 17… Normally when someone is 16 or 17, you see… When Serena was, 17 it was like overwhelming power, it’s obvious what her superpower is. Rafa, when he was 17, it looked like he could bench-press dump trucks, Boris Becker, oh he has the biggest serve we’ve ever seen," Roddick said in a recent episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
"So at 17, it’s like they learn nuance but they open with their massive skillset, Andreeva kind of plays a nuanced game at 17. Her comp [composure] is almost kind of Novak in a weird way," he added.
"I’m not saying she’s Novak, I’m saying the way that she wins her points is in a similar fashion to Novak. She’s a magician at switching directions. She doesn’t let someone get set to hit the same ball twice."
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