French Open champion Mirra Andreeva Excited to Finally Get the Attention of the Tennis World

Mirra Andreeva can call herself a Grand Slam winner at the age of 19. That incredible tag comes with a lot of attention and confidence on tour. Also, it attracts sponsorship and endorsement deals. The Russian star has been in the news for the past week and has admitted that she loves the fame she has gained.

Andreeva’s best run in a Grand Slam tournament before this year’s French Open was a semi-final finish at Roland Garros in 2024. The teenage star had claimed two WTA 1000 titles last year, but was not regarded as one of the favorites to win a Grand Slam yet, especially at a clay-court major.

Iga Swiatek, who has won Roland Garros four times, was in the list of favorites to win the event this year. Aryna Sabalenka topped the list, with Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff completing the list of potential winners. In fact, Marta Kostyuk had a higher probability of winning the tournament than Andreeva when she got to the semi-finals.

However, Andreeva knocked out Kostyuk in the last four of the French Open, a revenge victory after having lost to the Ukrainian star at the Madrid Open final. The 19-year-old then went on to defeat Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the French Open, cementing her name once more as one of the best players in the world.

Andreeva, after winning the French Open, became the youngest player to win her maiden Grand Slam since Coco Gauff (19) at the 2023 US Open in New York. Since her triumph, Andreeva has been praised by several former players, including Andre Agassi. She admitted to Championat that she’s enjoying the attention that she has gotten from being a Grand Slam winner:

I generally enjoy the attention, so nothing has really changed for me. Of course, these are the first two or three days, but I’m still getting a lot of messages, interviews here, interviews there… I really love to talk, so I’m really happy that I’ve gotten some attention now. I don’t think it will add any pressure. I actually wasn’t sure the Grand Slam would come this year. I wasn’t sure if it would come at all.

Being a Grand Slam winner gives players the best satisfaction of their careers. It also makes them more seen and relevant as their names would continue to echo in the history of the sport. Beyond that, it adds significant pressure, as defending the title becomes a heavy burden that some players struggle to meet.

Mirra Andreeva opens up about the role Conchita Martinez played in her French Open success

Mirra Andreeva’s Roland Garros story cannot be written without her coach, Conchita Martinez. Their partnership has had its ups and downs, but they often come out stronger. Last year, after Andreeva won back-to-back WTA 1000 titles, she was criticized for not playing at the same level as she did in Qatar and Indian Wells.

She was even questioned by some former Russian players about her possibility of ever winning a big title again. However, Martinez stuck with the teenager and got the best of her at the French Open in Paris. During the aforementioned interview, Andreeva reflected on her practice session with Martinez ahead of her final against Maja Chwalinska:

Conchita prepared me 100%. At some point, I was already thinking, ‘I’m probably going to play against some kind of monster’. Whatever Conchita told me – “She’ll play like this with this ball, she’ll do that with this ball” – it was as if she had an answer for everything. I started to get more nervous, but then I somehow calmed down and took everything in stride.

Andreeva’s next tournament is the Wimbledon Championships. She recently withdrew from the Berlin Tennis Open, opting to rest ahead of the Grand Slam tournament. The Russian star reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year before losing to Belinda Bencic in a nervy three-set thriller.

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