“Sabalenka Does That Every Match,” Former American Grand Slam Champion Raises Eyebrows at Prejuduce Towards Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells

Tennis is a sport of high drama, where every point can shift momentum. And when the stakes are high, emotions often boil over. From shattered rackets to rogue ball smashes – outbursts on the court are nothing new. Recently, Iga Swiatek found herself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after her meltdown in the semifinal loss to Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells. Swiatek, frustrated in the deciding set, lost control in more ways than one. At one point, she smacked a ball into the ground with her racquet, sending it toward a ball boy. Interestingly, Andreeva, her teenage opponent, has also shown flashes of frustration in matches, but an ATP pro believes there’s a double standard in how such incidents are viewed. How so?

In the Indian Wells final, Aryna Sabalenka dominated the first set 6-2 against Andreeva. Frustrated, the Russian prodigy reacted by tossing a ball into the air and smashing it into the crowd. Andy Roddick weighed in on the matter in his podcast ‘Served’, released on March 18. Joined by Kim Clijsters and Social Sophie, the former US Open champion discussed the tournament’s surprises, including Jack Draper and Andreeva’s victories.

Addressing Andreeva’s outburst, he said, “Something that is already starting to annoy me endlessly is that Andreeva gets kind of pissed on the court. Like, I like it! She fired and rifled the ball into the crowd yesterday, just fired it, which I thought was hilarious. I generally think, you know, petulance is fine as long as you’re self-aware. And they’re like, ‘Oh, she’s showing she’s a teenager.'”

The ex-American pro further added, “And the commentator was like, ‘If you want to beat someone like a Sabalenka, you can’t do that stuff.’ I’m like, Sabalenka does that every match. What are you talking about? It just feels like there’s this lazy thing where it’s like —people who were 26 have gotten pissed before, right?”

Clijsters chimed in, pointing out how Sabalenka herself had an angry moment at the Australian Open final. The world No. 1 was chasing a historic three-peat at Melbourne Park, but Madison Keys denied her the trophy. In frustration, Sabalenka smashed her racket on her bag before walking off to cool down.

Roddick, who has had his fair share of emotional outbursts, was also called out. Clijsters cheekily reminded him that even at 42, he still gets fiery on the court. The former World Number 1, known for his temper, once joked on X about his reputation, responding to a post about ‘The Big 3’ racket smashes, saying, “Afraid I lapped the field in this category.”

However, the 42-year-old former tennis pro made it clear that these outbursts aren’t an age thing. He emphasized, “Yeah, but it was just like every—it was every two games. Well, she’d miss a forehand, like, ‘Ah, well, she’s 17.’ I’m like, she’s a professional playing in a tournament she’s been the best player on earth over the last three weeks. Like, let’s—I don’t know. At a point, I was like, ‘We got it. We know. We fully understand.'”

While Andreeva’s emotions have been on display, she has been working to manage them. The teenager recently revealed she has been working with a sports psychologist to gain mental stability.

Mirra Andreeva is working with a sports psychologist to get “stronger”

Iga Swiatek has long credited sports psychology as a key to her success. Now, Mirra Andreeva is following a similar path. Fresh off her Indian Wells victory, she shared how this mental approach has strengthened her game. “I’ve been working with a sports psychologist, and, actually, starting from Australia. So I can say, in Australia, it was okay. And, you know, starting from Doha and Dubai, I just feel like I improved a lot, and I feel like I’m getting stronger,” the Russian tennis player said.

Continuing further, she added, “And I feel like I’m stable mentally and know what to do. I try to always stay positive, and I feel like it gives me a lot of strength and also a lot of confidence that goes into my tennis.”

Andreeva’s results speak for themselves. At just 17, she took down both Swiatek and Sabalenka—ranked the top two players in the world—on her way to the title in the Indian Wells. This made her the second-youngest player to achieve the feat, following Tracy Austin, who beat Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert at the 1979 US Open. Andreeva also became the youngest player to win back-to-back WTA 1000 events.

Now, the Russian tennis sensation sets her sights on the Miami Open, which kicks off on March 18. If she triumphs there, she will become the first teenager to complete the prestigious Sunshine Double. Can she pull it off?