French Open: Mirra Andreeva Touted to Reach Martina Hingis Yet Warned of ‘Speed Bump’ Threat by Andy Roddick

Mirra Andreeva continues to surprise spectators at the 2024 Roland Garros. The 17-year-old defeated Aryna Sabalenka in their quarterfinal meeting at the 2024 French Open. The Russian teenager had previously lost two matches to Saba, as did her older sister Erika, but Mirra had her sweet revenge. Watching her defeat Sabalenka, Andy Roddick was impressed at her form and said she would be better in the future, more so than a legend of the sport.

Andreeva dropped the first set against Sabalenka after a tie-breaker. Many believed the match would be over in the second set, but Andreeva turned the result on its head. She defeated Sabalenka 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. Andreeva reminded Roddick of Martina Hingis, but he claimed, “So Andreeva is going to be bigger, stronger, faster,” on Served with Andy Roddick.

As per the former World No. 1, Hingis and Andreeva have a similar game, and Hingis was wreaking havoc at the same age as Andreeva. “You know, she was a little bit smaller. But Martina Hingis had that when at a young age, she was 16 years old, 15 years old, and she was dominating tennis. She could come in, she could switch directions. Her tennis IQ was, you know, off the charts.”

Roddick found similar qualities in Mirra Andreeva as she completed a fantastic comeback against Sabalenka. Andreeva is now set to face Jasmine Paolini in what will be the first slam semifinal for both players.

Her advancement impressed the American legend, and although Roddick believes that Andreeva showed immense potential, he also noticed a drawback of such a performance. The 2003 US Open champion believed that the teenager had a tough journey ahead of her, and not just in terms of tennis. 

Andy Roddick on Mirra Andreeva possibly falling from grace just as fast she rises

The draw of fame is something that has changed the careers of many athletes. In tennis, Anna Kournikova is a prominent example of it. In the same segment on his podcast, Roddick said that her reaction to her newfound popularity will be key in deciding her future in the sport. “The only thing that could possibly be a speed bump is a reaction to fame or reaction to expectations.“

“Which I personally think is the hardest thing in all of sports is like she’s not supposed to win the match against Sabalenka.” Furthermore, he said that while it was inevitable with her style of play, she arrived at this stage sooner than he imagined. “I think we all knew she would be in this position at some point. Its a year earlier than I thought, if I’m being honest.“

Roddick shared immense praise for Mirra Andreeva due to her performance, but he was also wary of her possible future. Should she win against Paolini, will Roddick’s worries for her future increase?