Mirra Andreeva has written herself into the history books with yesterday’s win in the final. Nobody can ever take away from her that she is a Grand Slam champion.
Providing the perfect end to an otherwise flawless two weeks for the 19-year-old, it will be interesting to see how she capitalises on this breakthrough in the coming months and years.
After all, whilst she is undeniably the most in-form player in the world right now, there are still question marks over how she compares to the top-ranked players on the planet.
Andy Roddick has tackled this topic, whilst also making a prediction about Mirra Andreeva’s future.
Andy Roddick compares Mirra Andreeva to Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina
Speaking on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast after the final had concluded, he insisted: “There was a sense of inevitability around Andreeva.”
Roddick then explained why: “She dominated the early part of last year, she was okay by her own standards, and then just got on the clay and just turned up the gas.
How many Grand Slams does Mirra Andreeva win in her career? 🏆
“She is only getting stronger. She kind of had that thing a couple of years ago, where she was still growing into her physicality and now she is strong off the mark. She is fast. You hear her feet ripping when she takes off for a drop shot; the serve is really good. There is some motion and margin on her serve; I don’t see that ever going sideways.
“I am just telling you that she is only going to get better. She is still a work in progress even though she is as good as she is.
“The thing with options and having those options is that you need time, reps and years to figure out when to apply them perfectly.”
The American pundit heralded Conchita Martinez’s influence in how Andreeva tackled Maja Chwalinska, before then comparing her to the likes of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina:
“She kind of shape shifts between the moonballs and getting on her front foot and has both options. Maybe more so than anyone else in the women’s game.
“That is not saying she is the best player in the world right now. I am not ready to give up on Sabalenka and Rybakina; I don’t think we are at that point. But they play straight through you, and when they execute, it’s hard to beat. Andreeva has a bit more optionality.
“Does she go through people as well as those two? No. Will she someday? Maybe. But it’s still going to take time for her to learn how to use all the tools she has, which is pretty scary.”
This comes not long after Chris Evert predicted how many Grand Slams Andreeva could win in her career, having just claimed her first.
Mirra Andreeva’s big opportunity at Wimbledon
Having just taken full advantage of a scattered and unpredictable Roland Garros draw, Andreeva should head to Wimbledon brimming with confidence that she can do the same again.
After all, the WTA Tour is arguably as open as it ever has been, with so many active Grand Slam champions, a handful of elite players capable of challenging, and a fresh crop of young talent all capable of causing upsets.
Maja Chwalinska must surely now be given a Wimbledon wildcard! 🍓
Amongst all this chaos, Andreeva is steady.
Last year, the Russian reached the quarter-finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. This year, she has already converted that into a title in Paris. There’s no reason why it can’t happen again at the All England Club.
