By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Picture credit score: Tony Chang/Chang Images
Andy Roddick is aware of what it takes to succeed in the highest.
Former world No. 1 Roddick says 17-year-old phenom Mirra Andreeva is on an categorical path to the game’s summit.
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Earlier this month, Andreeva defused world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 within the BNP Paribas Open last to seize her second consecutive WTA 1000 championship at Indian Wells.
One spherical after Andreeva dethroned defending champion and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 charging into her maiden Indian Wells last, Andreeva deconstructed Sabalenka with unsettling variation.
Writing for in his column for for Betway, Roddick mentioned Andreeva’s clean motion and shrewd courtroom sense have at all times been belongings and her Indian Wells run confirmed she has the stinging serve, power and stamina, even at age 17, to beat the perfect.
Roddick mentioned Andreeva will likely be world No. 1.
“What impresses me most about Mirra Andreeva is her potential to face up bodily in opposition to the perfect gamers on the planet. I assumed that physicality was going to take a while,” Roddick told Betway. “It’s not eash if you’re attempting to beat individuals as bodily dominant as Sabalenka and Sviatek and also you’re 17.
“I’ve by no means questioned her tennis, however she’s serving now like she’s levelled up amazingly properly within the final 4 or 5 months.
“She’s capable of open up the shoulders on the forehand cross, her motion is already elite and there aren’t lots of holes in her sport. I don’t know that anybody ever actually questioned her tennis IQ, which is loopy to say about somebody who’s 17.”
Final June, Andreeva toppled Sabalenka en path to her maiden main semifinal at Roland Garros.
Andreeva is the third-youngest lady to win Indian Wells after her tennis hero, Martina Hingis (1998) and legendary Serena Williams (1999). Moreover, Andreeva joins Steffi Graf and Serena because the third participant beneath age 18 to topple the world No. 1 and world No. 2 on the identical occasion.
The sixth-ranked Andreeva is headed towards the highest, Roddick told Betway.
“I mentioned on our present a month in the past that I assumed she seems like a future World No. 1 for positive,” Roddick mentioned. “I don’t like to leap from profitable in Dubai to Steffi Graf comparisons – that looks like we’re skipping a few years – however simply primarily based on how she’s taking part in, she’s going to be firmly within the dialog to be one of many prime couple of gamers this 12 months.
“She looks like she’s fluent on all surfaces, she had a terrific run at Roland Garros final 12 months and it looks like she’s high-quality matching up in opposition to the highest gamers on the planet. Every thing factors to her being a contender prior to later.”
