Mirra Andreeva is quickly making her presence felt on the tennis courts, rising through the ranks with a speed that has left many seasoned players in awe. At such a young age, she’s already emerged as a formidable force, proving that she has the skill, grit, and determination to compete with the best. But like any teenager, Andreeva has her own set of concerns and preferences, and one of them happens to be something as fundamental as the type of surface she plays on.

For every tennis player, the surface has an immense role to play when it comes to their success. Some thrive better on clay and hard courts, while others excel on grass. The situation is no different for Andreeva, who has continued to remain biased towards her preference for clay courts, despite winning sensationally on the hard courts.

Andreeva ousted World No. 13 Emma Navarro in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. But, she has continued to believe in her prowess on clay courts. Andreeva engaged in an interview with Tennis Channel ahead of her second-round match. When quizzed about her favorite surface, Andreeva said, “Honestly, I would say clay, still clay. I struggle pretty much with hard court, especially when it’s like this. It’s fast. So that’s why I come in advance.” Andreeva’s comparative record on both surfaces aligns with her preferences.

In the current season, the Russian tennis star has played 11 matches on hard courts and has won 7 of them so far. This takes her win percentage on the surface to somewhere closer to 64 percent. On the contrary, her records on clay stand out exceptionally well. With a 76% win rate, Andreeva has won 16 of the 21 matches she has played on clay. Besides, her best feat in a grand slam also comes from clay after she advanced to the semi-finals of the French Open this year. The star player, meanwhile, has remained honest about her hard-court endeavors.

Continuing further in the interview, she revealed the precautions she takes on the hard courts. “Like 4 or 5 days before to adjust to the courts. And honestly, in the beginning, it was terrible. I played so bad in the first days when I arrived.” However, she did not fail to acknowledge the improvements she made over time. “And of course, I adjusted to the courts and now I feel very, very good.” Interestingly, Andreeva had a completely different stance to take, just a year ago. 

During her French Open campaign in 2023, Andreeva expressed skepticism when questioned about her favorite surface. “I don’t have a favorite surface, because when I play on hard I miss clay, but when I play on clay I miss hard,” Andreeva said. “So I cannot say which surface is my favorite.” But it seems like she has identified her strength on tour, which has also established herself as a formidable player by even experts like Andy Roddick.

When Roddick compared Andreeva’s ‘superpower’ to that of Novak Djokovic

Andreeva is placed at the 24th spot in the WTA rankings at a very young age. The skills she has demonstrated have left tennis experts in awe and the latest to join the fray of her supporters is former pro Andy Roddick. Speaking on the August 13th episode of Served, the 41-year-old discussed the players who can quickly make it to the top names of the tennis circuit. He did not fail to highlight the prowess of Andreeva and compared her to Novak Djokovic. 

Chatting in the podcast, Roddick praised Andreeva and said, “Her tennis IQ is better than most of the people on tour and she’s 17 to 18.” Continuing further, he acknowledged the movement and special abilities that she is armed with. “(She) can switch directions, which people don’t give it enough credit, but that’s Novak’s superpower, is the ability to take you out of whatever pattern you want because you can switch directions.”

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if the star player can continue to win on hard courts as well. Can she gain similar success in the US Open, just like Roland Garros? Well, only time will tell.