Mirra Andreeva is one of the most exciting young stars in tennis, but Rick Macci believes that fans are misunderstanding her talents.
The 18-year-old has stormed to the WTA Tour top 10 after winning the Dubai Championships and reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2025.
Andreeva lost a WTA record to Iva Jovic after the star’s win in Guadalajara, but the future is still looking bright for the Russian.
Legendary tennis coach Rick Macci, who worked with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, has revealed that fans are not fully understanding Andreeva’s talents.
Rick Macci says Mirra Andreeva’s mental game is her best asset
Macci has predicted World No. 1 status for Andreeva and now he has pointed out a major misconception with the young star.
Taking to social media, Macci continued to praise the World No. 5 and predicted big things for the Indian Wells champion.
“Many say Andreeva does not have the upside because of her mental game. Besides her outer qualities, which are elite, I feel her Inner Game is her best asset,” said Macci on X.
“She is only 18, and her competitive fight with all her might is why she will be number one for many years before it is all said and done.”
Andreeva’s last outing was at the US Open, where she suffered a shock loss to Taylor Townsend in the third round.
Mirra Andreeva’s race to World No. 1 of the WTA Tour
Andreeva may have cracked the top five in 2025, but she still has a long way to go to reach Macci’s prediction of World No. 1.
The 18-year-old certainly has time on her hands, but Aryna Sabalenka’s stranglehold on the top spot was only strengthened by her US Open win.
| Player | WTA ranking points |
| A. Sabalenka | 11225 |
| I. Świątek | 7933 |
| C. Gauff | 7874 |
| A. Anisimova | 5159 |
| M. Andreeva | 4793 |
Andreeva is currently over 6000 points away from Sabalenka at World No. 1 and would require a huge swing to become the best player in the world.
Multiple Grand Slam wins or an extreme drop off in form for Sabalenka are what is needed for the rising Russian.
