'I Have My Own Career': 16-Year-Old Prodigy Andreeva Dismisses Sharapova Comparisons

| by Erik Virostko

Mirra Andreeva is one of the most talented players on the WTA Tour, and she's showing her talent since early teenage years.

The 16-year-old made her mark on the WTA Tour with great performances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. A few months after those, she qualified for the US Open directly, and even broke into the world's Top 60.

Andreeva's talent is undeniable, and she seems to generate some kind of frenzy anywhere she goes, as she doesn't appear at many events right now. She appeared at Flushing Meadows, and that's where she got a chance to talk with Claytenis.

Without a doubt, one of the biggest tennis icons to come from her country is a five-times singles Grand Slam champion, Maria Sharapova, who won her maiden major at Wimbledon in 2004, when she was only 17.

"I would ask Maria what her feeling was like when she won her first Grand Slam at 17. Then I would want to know other things, but the first thing would to know what she felt after she won Wimbledon in 2004."

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Andreeva, who is still only 16, may still follow Sharapova's path, and win a Grand Slam at the same age as now-retired Russian, or even sooner. But when talking about comparisons with Sharapova, the teenager said she's following her own path.

"People may say, perhaps, that I’m following her path and doing the same as her, but I don’t focus on that. I have my own career, my own life. I will only do my best to create a great career."

As a 16-year-old prodigy, super-talent, and one of the brightest young stars on the WTA Tour, Andreeva generates a lot of interest from the fans. As a result, she often faces uncomfortable situations, but the Russian simply doesn't want to say no to her fans.

"Sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable. I get a lot of people after games asking me for a picture. I don’t want to say no because they support me and are cheering me on. I couldn’t say no and walk away, but it’s true that I can’t stay too long with people because I need to rest and do my own thing."

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