16-Year-Old Prodigy Andreeva Receives Praise By Tennis Legend Navratilova

Monday, 20 November 2023 at 06:00

bySebastian Dahlman

16-year-old Mirra Andreeva impressed many with her tennis this year, including former player Martina Navratilova, who praised her efforts.

Mirra Andreeva first introduced herself to the wide tennis audience at the Madrid Open, where she bested Leylah Fernandez as a 15-year-old. She would turn 16 a few days after that and secured a Top-20 win at the WTA 1000 event as well.

Eventually, she was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka, but it was clear that we witnessed a rising star. She would continue playing well throughout the year, earning respect with several prominent performances at the Grand Slam level.

She had a good run at Roland Garros, which Coco Gauff ended. She followed that up at Wimbledon with more good performances. The latter part of the year didn't feature her playing as many matches as the first part, but she still played well whenever he stepped out of the court.

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Her form cooled down towards the end of the year, but she still did enough to finish the year in the Top 50. Next year will be a huge year for her, and starting well early in Australia will be crucial.

Many expect great things from her because she was so impressive this year. Navratilova was amazed like many others, and she actually called her a force in a recent interview with the WTA.

I’ve seen her play and I like what I see. She’s a force -- and she wants it, wants it bad. Andreeva is fierce and fiery and all in.

— Navratilova praises Andreeva<br>

Andreeva certainly hasn't been shy about her ambitions in interviews, claiming she wants to win more Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic. Those were some bold words, but she can back them up. We haven't seen a teenager this good since Coco Gauff, so look out. She's our Newcomer of the Year.