With improved professionalism, Mirra Andreeva eyes another milestone year

No matter what happens on the tennis court this season, 2025 is guaranteed to be a landmark year for Mirra Andreeva. The World No.16 will turn 18 in May, which the precocious talent says is both a gift and a curse.

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“Honestly, I’m not really happy about it because I don’t want to get old,” Andreeva told WTA Insider ahead of her season debut at the Brisbane International. “I like being young. It’s OK. There’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t know if I will feel more mature or more old, but I am going to be a grown-up woman.”

“But I guess the good thing about it is that I can play as many tournaments as I want. I don’t have to count. This is a nice thing about it, I will be able to play all the tournaments I want.”

Andreeva was, of course, referring to the Hologic WTA Tour’s Age Eligibility Rule, which restricts the number of tournaments player under 18 can play in a season. It’s a reflection of Andreeva’s prodigious talent that she sits firmly inside the Top 20 on the PIF WTA Rankings despite playing a limited schedule.

Andreeva splashed onto the scene as a 15-year-old in 2023 when she made the Round of 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open in her second tour-level main draw. She rapidly crossed off all the notable career “firsts” that any young player might take years to achieve. She made the second week of Wimbledon at 16 and, last year, made her first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros. Two months later, she was an Olympic gold medalist, winning the doubles with Diana Shnaider in Paris.

If not for World No.3 Coco Gauff, Andreeva would be re-writing a slew of “youngest since” stats left and right.

But there was little time for Andreeva to bask in her outstanding 2024 campaign. She was quickly back to work with coach Conchita Martínez to continue amplifying and refining her game, which relies on her defensive physicality and preternatural court IQ.

“Being in the semis of Roland Garros showed me what it takes to be a professional tennis player,” Andreeva said. “Not just play and enjoy and all that stuff. You have to work, you have to follow your routines, you have to do everything focused, everything to try to be a professional.

“You have to take everything seriously. The warm-ups, the cool-downs, I have to really be professional about all of this. It cannot be hanging there, like if I don’t do this I’ll be OK, I’m young, I’m full of strength, full of power. Roland Garros showed me what I really have to do to win.”

Her run to the French Open final four included a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 win over then-No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. It was followed by a disheartening 6-3, 6-1 loss to Jasmine Paolini. She finished her 2024 season by making her first WTA 500 final in Ningbo. She ended up in tears in the arms of her good friend Daria Kasatkina, who beat her 6-0, 4-6, 6-4.

For every high, Andreeva has also had to take her lumps. The success shows her she’s on the right path. The losses keep her ambition and entitlement in check.

This year, Andreeva’s overarching goal is to treat her career more professionally. That means a laser focus on her warm-ups and cool-downs, maximizing her intensity in the gym, and not letting the benefits of being young undermine her work ethic.

“Give everything you have even in the practice,” Andreeva said. “Even if I practice with Conchita and we do baskets, not to just have fun and go home. You can have fun of course, but when you play you have to focus on what you’re doing and put everything into your work.”

“If your fitness coach told you to do it, shut your mouth and go and do it. Because if he said so, it means he knows what’s best for me and I have to go and do it. It’s not like after I will feel tired or I won’t feel like I have any power left. He does it to help me, so why would I say no to that?”

So far, Andreeva has looked sharp in her first two outings. Seeded No.7 in Brisbane, she is into the Brisbane quarterfinals with straight-set wins over Anna Blinkova and Linda Noskova. Her 6-3, 6-0 win over Noskova avenged a tough loss from 12 months ago, when Noskova beat her 7-5, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

“First thing, Conchita told me is she’s very proud of me for last season,” Andreeva said. “We didn’t talk about the next season. We set up the calendar and we thought about what tournaments I would play, but we actually didn’t talk yet about setting goals or what we want to do together. We’re just letting it go and see with time.”

Andreeva will face her idol, Ons Jabeur, in the quarterfinals. The Tunisian edged out Elina Avanesyan 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the Round of 16 to make her first quarterfinal since the grass-court season in Berlin. Andreeva won their first meeting, which came 12 months ago at the Australian Open, 6-2, 6-0.