“She can be One or Two at the year-end wire”: Former Serena coach bets on Andreeva to break Swiatek-Sabalenka dominance

Former Serena Williams coach Rick Macci always keeps a close eye on the WTA Tour, and in a recent bold prediction shared on social media, he ventured to name the player who could break the dominance of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in 2026.

The dominance at the top of the WTA has been unbreakable for the last three seasons. For the second consecutive year, Sabalenka finished as the leader with Swiatek in second, whereas in 2024, it was the Pole who led with the Belarusian in second place. The consistency of the top players is evident when also considering Coco Gauff in the equation—who finished No. 3 in the last three seasons—closing out a podium that has remained on repeat. Together, they have shared 11 of the last 15 Grand Slams played and have finished all three seasons inside the Top 3.

For Macci—who coached Venus and Serena Williams in their early stages—there is one name ready to fight for the top of the rankings and major titles: the 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 5 in 2025 and currently sits at World No. 9.

The Russian teenager won back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Indian Wells, securing her place inside the Top 10 until the end of the year—despite a ranking drop that deprived her of playing the WTA Finals in Riyadh at the last moment.

Andreeva's breakthrough on the Tour has been particularly rapid, from her first wins at just 16 back in 2023, reaching the third round at the French Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon, to reaching the semifinals of Roland Garros and three WTA 1000 quarterfinals just a year later.

2025 was a year targeted for growth, and the Russian achieved it in spades, winning two consecutive WTA 1000 titles, reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and consecutive quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome.

However, her momentum at the end of the year was not ideal. Poor results upon returning to hard courts cost her qualification for the WTA Finals. Following her Wimbledon campaign, she managed a record of just 4-5 and missed out on Riyadh at the very last moment, being surpassed by just a few points by Elena Rybakina, despite seeming like a lock to make her WTA Finals debut.

Andreeva finished the year as World No. 9, but she will have the opportunity to regain her form in just one week when she begins the year at the Brisbane International—as the 6th seed in a tournament that includes Aryna Sabalenka, Amanda Anisimova, and Elena Rybakina.

Regardless of her late-season slump, Macci continues to bet on Andreeva to take the next step in her career in 2026 and fight for her first major title. “The player to watch in 2026 is Andreeva,” Macci posted on his social media. “She has Grand Slam written all over her and my pick to catch fire have more mature desire go higher make others perspire and be one or two at the year end wire.”

The Russian was also active on the doubles tour during 2025, partnering with Diana Shnaider and qualifying for the WTA Finals, where they were eliminated in the Round Robin. Andreeva finished the season as World No. 12 in doubles.