3 unknown facts about Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old who has taken French Open 2024 by storm
Mirra Andreeva, the newest 17-year-old sensation from Russia, has created ripples in the tennis world by reaching the semifinal of the French Open 2024. She beat second-seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal and thus became the youngest player of either gender to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 27 years.
Mirra Andreeva will face Jasmine Paolini in the semifinal on Thursday, June 6. The match presents her with a golden opportunity to reach the final and fight for the title.
The Russian is the most famous teen tennis prodigy in the world at the moment and many would be eager to know more about her. In this article, we will take a look at three relatively unknown facts about Andreeva:
#3. Her mother was inspired by Marat Safin in deciding that her daughters would take up tennis
Mirra Andreeva’s mother, Raisa Andreeva, is a fan of Safin, the two-time Grand Slam champion from Russia. While watching Safin on TV during the 2005 Australian Open, she decided that both her daughters would take up tennis in the future.
Mirra’s elder sister, Erika, is also a professional tennis player and is ranked 94th in the world at the moment.
In a recent interview with WTA, Mirra Andreeva stated:
"Actually, I didn’t pick this sport. My mom did. I’m really happy that my mom picked this sport because I feel that I really belong to this sport.”
However, Mirra Andreeva herself is a big fan of Andy Murray.
Incidentally, both Mirra and Erika have been runners-up at Junior Grand Slam tournaments. The younger sister now has a great chance of having a go at the title at the senior level, too.
#2. Mirra Andreeva is an avid tennis watcher
Andreeva likes to watch tennis when she is not busy playing it, by her own admission. In an interview at the French Open 2024, she said:
“I watch a lot of tennis, even when I finish a day, for example, when I played against Vika, we finished at 2:00 am; I got to the hotel room at 3:00 and I still saw some reels on Instagram about tennis. I was like, 'Who is winning, who won, who lost?' So I’m always trying to see the results and see some highlights of some matches.
“So I don’t think there was a day without tennis for me since I started playing. I can say that I always watch some tennis.”
The young Russian is seemingly keen to understand the tactical aspects of the game and also her opponents. Many believe this bodes well for her future.
#1. Andreeva does not like going to school much
In some respects, the young Russian is like a lot of other teenagers. She recently admitted that she does not quite enjoy going to school.
In a press conference at Roland Garros, she stated:
“I would say that I am almost like a normal teenager because I still have to do my school that I don’t like to do. I watch a lot of TV series on my spare time I watch Netflix. I sometimes spend too much time on my Instagram or I just do some crap when I’m at home and I laugh I talk yeah just doing some normal things.”
Andreeva is expected to finish her schooling despite being a tennis star already.