Mirra Andreeva can expect praise from all of tennis royalty.
Although, Maria Sharapova‘s message to her might mean the most after the Russian had some kind words following her Indian Wells triumph on Sunday.
Sharapova, a former world No.1, has made no secret the affinity she has for the teenage sensation that is Andreeva
So when the 17-year-old won her second consecutive WTA 1000 at Indian Wells, the five-time Grand Slam champion was full of praise for the new world No.6
“Many congratulations!” Sharapova exclaimed following Andreeva’s historic three-set comeback against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka,
She then dubbed Andreeva as “so poised,” and the victory as “so well deserved.”
It was only last year that Sharapova predicted Andreeva’s success in 2025, as she told the WTA website that she expects her to have a breakthrough very soon.
“I think [Andreeva] has a strong attitude,” Sharapova told the WTA.
“She has the game to back it up, and genuinely I just like her approach and her sensibility in the game. I think she has a bright future ahead of her.”
Now Andreeva has delivered on that promise as she has exploded on the tennis scene with remarkable back-to-back WTA 1000 titles.
Andreeva’s Indian Wells victory will be one that stays with her forever regardless of what she is to achieve, after she made history multiple times en route to the trophy.
That included matching Sharapova’s feat of winning 10 consecutive WTA matches before turning 21.
Andreeva is also just the second youngest player to defeat a world No.1 and World No.2 on the way to a WTA 1000 title since Tracy Austin in 1979.
Such success so early into her career it’s no wonder Andreeva admitted how nervous she was leading up to the final.
“I know as I always say, I can be tough — and today was not the exception,” Andreeva said at the post-match ceremony. “I know I was, as you like to say, `a little brat’ a little bit in the morning.
“That’s because I was super nervous, so I’m sorry for that.”
The Russian also gave a shout-out to LeBron James in her post-match interview, explaining she draws motivation from the NBA legend.
“I remember that LeBron James once gave an interview and I like to use it for motivational videos before the match,” Andreeva added.
“He said that when you don’t feel 100 percent physically you can choose to be 100 percent mentally, and that’s what makes us champions. So I just tried to do that today — and it kind of worked.”
Andreeva will now turn her attention quickly to the Miami Open which begins on Tuesday.
She will be looking to keep riding this wave of momentum and match Iga Swiatek’s 2022 feat of winning three consecutive WTA 1000 titles.
