Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old Russian tennis prodigy ranked world No. 6, revealed a surprising twist in her journey to the WTA Tour’s elite during a recent Tennis Insider Club podcast with former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia. The 2024 French Open semifinalist and two-time WTA 1000 champion disclosed that her parents, Raisa and Alexander Andreeva, nearly steered her toward volleyball instead of tennis. This pivotal decision, made before her older sister Erika was born, set the stage for Mirra’s meteoric rise in tennis, including her quarterfinal run at the 2025 Madrid Open.
“When Erika was born, my parents were debating between volleyball and tennis for us,” Andreeva shared. “My mum loved watching both sports, waking up at night to catch matches while pregnant with Erika. They went back and forth, but somehow chose tennis. By the time I came along, I didn’t have much say—I was on the court by age two, picking up balls!” She laughed, adding, “They kind of forced me, but I’m so grateful they picked tennis. I feel like I belong here.”
Raisa’s passion for tennis, sparked by watching Marat Safin’s 2005 Australian Open triumph, ultimately tipped the scales. Recognizing early talent in Erika, and later Mirra, the Andreevas relocated from Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, to Sochi, then Moscow, and finally Cannes, France, in 2022 to train at the Elite Tennis Center. Mirra began playing at six, despite struggling to hold a racket at four due to her small size. “I was falling over, but I kept trying,” she recalled.
The choice paid off spectacularly. Mirra, who turned pro in 2022, won her first WTA match at the 2023 Madrid Open at age 15, becoming the third-youngest player to win a main-draw match at a WTA 1000 event. In 2025, she claimed back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Dubai, defeating top players like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. Her aggressive baseline game and mental toughness have drawn comparisons to Martina Hingis, with Andy Murray praising her self-demanding nature on X.
Had volleyball been the family’s pick, Mirra’s athleticism—evident in her 5’9” frame and court coverage—might have shone on a different stage. “I wonder sometimes what volleyball would’ve been like,” she mused. “But tennis is my world now.” With her Madrid campaign ongoing and Roland Garros looming, Andreeva’s focus remains on adding to her three WTA singles titles, all while playfully reminding her parents about a promised puppy for cracking the top 20—a goal she surpassed long ago.
