Wimbledon: Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva reaches fourth round

WIMBLEDON, England –

When 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva needed some advice after losing in the third round of her first major tennis tournament, she didn’t have to look far.

Of course, her parents and coaches have played a huge role in helping her become the newest teen sensation in tennis. But Andreeva knows herself better than anyone, so the conversation after this year’s French Open remained internal.

“Honestly, after Paris, I had a pretty long talk with myself, just me and myself, and that’s it. I talked to myself. I just talked,” Andreeva said. “I don’t know, just in my head I realized some things. I made some decisions that I think are important to me now.”

In her second major tournament, Andreeva has already done a lot better, advancing to the fourth round at Wimbledon after beating 22nd seed Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 7-5 on No. 3 Court.

“I did a good job because now everything works so far,” said the Russian teenager who is training in France. “Yeah, I just talked to myself and I’ve decided everything I need to do now. So far it’s working.”

Andreeva became the youngest player to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Coco Gauff in 2019. She will next face No. 25 Madison Keys for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Pretty heavy stuff for a teen being touted as a potential superstar on the tennis circuit.

“Actually, I think I’m just a normal teenager, a normal girl. I do, I think, everything the girls my age do. I like watching series. I have to do my school. I have no choice. I still have to two years of suffering, and that’s it,” Andreeva said with a smile at that last part. “Sometimes it depends on my mood, but sometimes I prefer to be alone, just with myself, yes.”

For such a young player, her maturity showed on the pitch. After winning the first set on Sunday, she trailed 4-1 in the second. Keeping her cool helped her regroup and take back control.

“Today, honestly, even if I wanted to show some emotions, I honestly couldn’t because I was out of breath almost every point,” Andreeva said in an interview on the court. “I really couldn’t show any emotions.”

They worked it out later, however, when she settled into her chair and pulled her purple Wimbledon towel over her face for a few seconds to regain her composure.

The pressure on the oldest Grand Slam tournament will only increase. After six straight wins in her only six appearances on grass – three in qualifying and three in the main draw – Andreeva now aims to match 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and become only the second qualifier in history to make a major tournament wins. .

“Of course she did great in 2021. Everyone was impressed,” Andreeva said of Raducanu, a British player who will miss Wimbledon this year due to injuries. “But I just try not to think about it. I think it’s going to bother me, all these thoughts. I just try to play every game and don’t think about how far I’m already or what round I’m playing against. Who I’m playing against .”