Former World No.1 Criticizes Mirra Andreeva for failing to handle Pressure Following Recent Results

Mirra Andreeva won just three matches in the Sunshine Double.

Former World No.1 Criticizes Mirra Andreeva for failing to handle Pressure Following Recent Results

Mirra Andreeva (Image via X/HQ pics)

In Short
  • Mirra Andreeva has struggled to handle pressure following a promising start to her career.
  • Former World No.1 Dinara Safina criticized Andreeva for lacking emotional control during recent matches.
  • Andreeva is expected to return to the court during the upcoming clay-court season to improve her performance.

Mirra Andreeva has had a mixed start to the 2026 season, with her under the spotlight following some recent losses. The Russian star seems to be under pressure, as she has lacked the freedom she showed on the court last season. Former World No.1 Dinara Safina believes that’s because she can’t handle pressure.

Andreeva was dubbed the latest youngster who will win a Grand Slam after winning back-to-back WTA 1000 last season. But she failed to live up to expectations as she didn’t progress to the semi-finals of any Grand Slam last year. However, she won her fourth WTA title at the Adelaide International in January.

Following the win, it appeared that the teenage sensation was back on track and needed just time to improve. But that didn’t happen, she exited in the fourth round of the Australian Open after losing to Elina Svitolina, lost to Victoria Mboko in the round of 16 of the Qatar Open, and then exited the Dubai Tennis Championships in the quarter-finals.

The Indian Wells Open, where she was meant to defend her WTA 1000 ended in embarrassment as doubles star Katerina Siniakova defeated her in three sets. In Miami, she couldn’t get past Mboko in the fourth round, which means she has lost to her fellow teenager twice in just over a month.

Days after Andreeva’s loss at the Miami Open, former World No.1 Safina, who has never won a Grand Slam herself, discussed the 18-year-old’s recent form and behavior in an audio message on Telegram. The three-time Grand Slam finalist revealed that Andreeva cannot handle the pressure that comes from fans’ expectations:

When Anna [Chakvetadze] and I record the podcast, we talk a lot about how players’ desire to quickly reach the top, second, or third rankings in the world, to win a Grand Slam — it’s a colossal burden. They might not be able to handle it. You have to be prepared for everything, and when this weight of responsibility hits them, when they start demanding victories and expectations, they immediately say: ‘What are you demanding of us? What do you expect from us? But that’s part of your job, your profession.

Andreeva has gotten little support from former Russian players since her struggles on the court. The former World No.5 has been heavily criticized and is just 18 years old, and will surely improve with time and experience. Perhaps, her climb to success was too fast as she broke into the top 10 after winning the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells last year.

Dinara Safina believes Mirra Andreeva loses matches because of a lack of emotional control

Mirra Andreeva will have to regroup and bounce back from her current poor run of form. She has the opportunity to prove that she’s one of the best youngsters in the women’s circuit and eventually answer her critics. She’s expected to be back on the court during the clay-court season, which begins next month.

Mirra Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva (Image via X/WTA a la UNE)

However, Dinara Safina believes that Andreeva is consciously making mistakes on the court. The former World No.1 highlighted that she noticed it during her loss to Victoria Mboko in the round of 16 at the Miami Open. She stressed on Best Tennis Podcast with quotes from Championat that Andreeva made so many mistakes due to her emotions:

She [Andreeva] called for physio… I basically thought she was about to start a super third set because Mboko was a bit down after losing the second set, but it was a very strange start. You know, I was surprised by how lacking that composure was. How composed she was in breaking the second set to win it, and how focused she was in the third set… Correct me if I’m wrong, but sometimes Mirra’s mistakes seem emotional.

Andreeva produced one of her best performances in the clay season in 2024, when she reached the semi-finals of the French Open. She will kick off her clay-court campaign this year at the Stuttgart Open, which the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina will also compete in.

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