Mirra Andreeva has made a habit of turning the predictions true. Remember, just a few months ago, Aryna Sabalenka had predicted that the Russian prodigy would break into the Top 10 very soon. It was in fact, Andreeva’s major goal this season, and guess what? It took her just two months to secure a spot in the Top 10. After her title triumph at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Serena Williams’ childhood coach Rick Macci heaped praise on her incredible mental strength as well, adding, “She’s the real deal.” And she is indeed proving to be one. Andreeva’s rapid rise is definitely not a fluke, and she recently even legitimized Macci’s “cheeky rabbit” analysis about her. What was that analysis, though?

Well, just before this epic final against Aryna Sabalenka, Macci, who coached the Williams sisters in 1991, took to his X handle to share his thoughts on Mirra Andreeva’s playing style. He wrote, “What I love most about Andreeva is there are no holes in her game biomechanically. Plus, she’s a turbo-charged Russian Rabbit with her elite movement.” Macci also highlighted her “laser focus and a backbone as good as her backhand.” According to the 70-year old, “the kid is on the Run to number one.”

Not only Macci, but even the ex-American pro Andy Roddick made similar predictions about Andreeva in the past. “Mirra Andreeva is going to be number one in the world at some point,” Roddik said. With her recent title triumphs in Dubai and Indian Wells, Andreeva has now become the youngest player to win consecutive WTA 1000 events since Martina Hingis in 1997. But how tough was it to seal the victory against someone like Aryna Sabalenka?

Following her impressive 2-6,6-4,6-3 win over the world number one Sabalenka, Andreeva delivered a hilarious victory speech that highlighted her incredible resilience in the match. She said, “Last but not least, I’d like to thank myself. I would like to thank myself for fighting til the end and for always believing in the end. For never quitting, I tried to run like a rabbit today because Aryna, she’s been sending bullets and it was really had to just keep up, so I just tried my best. That’s why, I want to thank myself because I think that I played a little part also. So, thank you, everyone.” Well, she literally legitimized Macci’s “rabbit” analysis there, didn’t she?

However, this wasn’t the first time that we saw Rick Macci speak about Andreeva’s game. Following her title triumph in Dubai, he said, “She was an explosive Russian Firecracker when she came on tour. I love that COMPETITIVE RAGE for a young player playing in the BIGS. Early on, her temper cost her. That anger has matured into more determination and is a best friend. Number one around the corner.” Macci even highlighted how her recent wins raised fear in the minds of her opponents.

Can Andreeva now make the number one predictions come true? Time will tell! But she will reach her career-high ranking of number 6 on Monday.

With this win against Sabalenka, she has now become the second-youngest woman to defeat both the number one and number two (Iga Swiatek) in the same tournament. She is now also the third-youngest woman ever to win the Indian Wells title after Martina Hingis (1998) and Serena Williams (1999). What did Aryna Sabalenka say about the youngster after the match?

Well, after losing both of her previous matches against the Belarusian this season, it was revenge math for Andreeva for sure. After losing to the 17-year-old, Sabalenka heaped praise on her opponent’s incredible performance by saying, “Mirra, congrats on an incredible run – great tournament and great tennis.”

But apart from Sabalenka, how did the other bigwigs in the tennis world react to Andreeva’s incredible victory?

Russian legend Maria Sharapova showers praise on Mirra Andreeva

Mirra Andreeva broke quite a few records with her title triumph at Indian Wells. She is now the third-youngest player to defeat the world number one in a WTA final from a set down – older than only Jennifer Capriati (1991) and Gabriela Sabatini (1988) in the past 40 years. After her incredible performance in Indian Wells, the Czech legend Martina Navratilova said, “Andreeva is playing well above her years.“

Later, Victoria Azarenka also congratulated her, writing, “Wow Mirra! Incredible 👏🏻,” in one of her social media posts. Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, even made a bold prediction about Andreeva’s chances at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.

Andreeva’s compatriot Maria Sharapova was quick to shower praise on the young prodigy as well, saying, “Mirra 💕 Many congratulations!! So poised. So well deserved. 🏆.“

Even last year, during an interview, Sharapova had predicted a bright future for Andreeva, stating, “Mirra Andreeva is another talent I’m rooting for. She just recently broke into the top 10, so she’s one to definitely watch.”

Regarding Sharapova and Andreeva, Rick Macci actually has an interesting take. “Mentally, she[Mirra Andreeva] is in a bubble like Sharapova was. Mentally cut and uses same Russian cloth of right here right no,” the veteran believes. Well, we will see how accurate this analysis turns out.

Maria Sharapova has won five major titles in her career so far. How many do you think Mirra Andreeva can clinch in her rapidly growing tennis career?