Former World No. 1 Labels Mirra Andreeva ‘Stagnant’ After Indian Wells Disaster

Mirra Andreeva has struggled to keep her emotions in check during tough matches on tour.

Former World No. 1 Labels Mirra Andreeva ‘Stagnant’ After Indian Wells Disaster

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

In Short
  • Yevgeny Kafelnikov criticizes Mirra Andreeva's stagnant performance following her early exit at Indian Wells.
  • Andreeva's recent struggles include failing to progress past the fourth round in major tournaments this season.
  • Despite her singles disappointment, Andreeva is competing in the Indian Wells doubles with partner Victoria Mboko.

Former World No.1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has raised concerns about Mirra Andreeva’s poor form after her loss at the Indian Wells Open. The Russian star crashed out of the WTA 1000 tournament in California, an event which she resoundingly won last year. Kafelnikov believes she has stagnated.

When Andreeva burst onto the scene last year by winning the Dubai Tennis Championships and Indian Wells, no one had predicted that she would struggle badly. It has been a struggle for the teenager, who often struggles to keep her emotions at bay during matches. She failed to make the top 8 of the WTA Finals last year, despite being ranked second at one time.

This season, she did well to win the Adelaide International after beating fellow teenage star Victoria Mboko in straight sets. At the Australian Open, she didn’t get past the fourth round as she lost to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. In Dubai, she attempted to defend the title but failed miserably, losing in the quarter-finals to Amanda Anisimova.

She arrived in Indian Wells with the intentions of having a good run and did that in her second round match against World No.65 Solana Sierra, 6-0, 6-0 demolition. But in the third round, her run ended after she fell to World No.44 Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6(5)-7, 3-6. During the match, the Russian star let out her frustration by smashing one of her rackets and yelling at the crowd.

She also obsessively punched her thigh repeatedly, expressing her palpable frustration physically. The loss means the World No.8 is likely going to drop out of the top 10 of the WTA rankings when updated next week. During an interview with Championat, Kafelnikov revealed that Andreeva has not made progress in her game since winning two consecutive WTA 1000 titles:

Who doesn’t question Mirra’s form? Her current form might not be questioned only by people who lack tennis competence. For them, Mirra’s game doesn’t raise questions, but for everyone else, including me, it does. She’s not making progress — that’s the most important thing. She’s stagnant.

Kafelnikov has never held back in criticizing her fellow compatriot since the start of this season. After Andreeva lost to Svitolina in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open, the former World No.1 claimed that the 18-year-old had no prospect of becoming World No.1 in her career as she lacked the attitude and fight to play under pressure.

Mirra Andreeva focused on winning the Indian Wells doubles after singles disappointment

Mirra Andreeva has crashed out of the Indian Wells singles, but she’s still fighting for the doubles title. The Russian star partnered with Canadian star Victoria Mboko in the doubles category of the tournament. The pair won their opening match before stunning Jelena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste 7-6(7), 3-6, (11-9) to reach the quarter-finals.

Mirra Andreeva (2)
Mirra Andreeva (Image via X/HQ pics)

Mboko is already in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells singles after breezing past Amanda Anisimova. Andreeva will now have to regroup and hope she takes some fun away from the tournament. She revealed after her loss to Katerina Siniakova that she only has the doubles on her mind and hopes to win it:

I was just stuck in the locker room, scrolling Reels in Instagram, trying to get my mind off of it. Other than that, I was just, yeah, trying to get ready for doubles, because obviously, I mean, I lost my singles match. It’s not like I’m going to go on court and tank my doubles because I don’t feel like playing.

Andreeva is not new to doubles. She won the Miami Open double title in 2025 alongside his partner Diana Shnaider. The two Russian stars won the Brisbane International that same year. She hopes to get her first alongside her partner, Mboko, at the Indian Wells Open.

Also Read: Joao Fonseca Shares Key Takeaways from Indian Wells Clash with Jannik Sinner