“That is shocking for women’s tennis”: Mirra Andreeva’s maturity impresses Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick analyzed Mirra Andreeva's significant progress in 2024 and expressed his impression of the great results she has achieved as just a teenager. The 17-year-old Russian completed her first full season on the WTA Tour, won her first WTA title at the Iasi Open, and won a silver medal in doubles at the Olympic Games.

Andreeva has quickly become a major name on the Tour. At the end of 2022, she wasn't even in the top 400, while after playing just 8 WTA tournaments in 2023, she managed to enter the top 50 at the end of the year. 2024 marked a definitive rise, finishing at No. 16 and reaching her first Grand Slam semifinals at Roland Garros.

Andreeva climbs ranks, draws Roddick's attention

The former world No. 1 Andy Roddick recently commented on Andreeva's strengths that could allow her to continue taking steps forward on the Tour. "Her ability, her variety, her ability to switch directions," the 2003 US Open champion said on the Server with Roddick podcast.

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"Even hiring Conchita Martinez as a coach and thinking where do I source wisdom. Those are very intelligent progressions on and off the court in 2024." Andreeva is one of the few players who has a female coach, and it's none other than the former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, former coach of Garbine Muguruza.

"What does she do in 2025? More of it. Let the progression take hold," Roddick continued regarding Andreeva. "It is simultaneously exciting and also the pragmatist in me is going, do the same thing for the next three months."

"And after that the next three months. It might not go perfectly but I think this is someone who is going to be holding a big trophy at some point."

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At that moment, co-host John Wertheim commented to Roddick: "Do you want to know a crazy stat? She is the only teenager in the top 100 I believe." At 17, Andreeva is the only player under 20 who is in the top 100. To find another player of her age, or younger, there is world No. 177 Alina Korneeva and world No. 178 Brenda Fruhvirtova.

Roddick responded: "That is shocking for women's tennis too," with Wertheim continuing: "When Monica Seles won eight majors as a teenager, Steffi [Graf] won the golden slam as a teenager. She is 17 so that means that she has nine more majors left before she turns 20,"

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"One thing that impresses me here is that we see young players - it's LeBron [James], it's Rafa [Nadal], it's Jennifer Capriati and there's physical maturity," the journalist added. "I'm not sure that's the case here, it's more emotional maturity. She plays a really tactical, strategic game."

Andreeva will start the season on December 30th at the Brisbane International, facing a tough draw that includes Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, and Paula Badosa. A week later, she will travel to Adelaide for her last tournament before the Australian Open, where she will be the 16th seed.

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