Photo Source: Tony Chang
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday May 6, 2025
Since her career-best 13-match winning streak was snapped in Miami, Mirra Andreeva has come down to earth a bit. She lost to Amanda Anisimova in the round of 32 at Miami, then fell to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 16 at Stuttgart. Then, in Madrid she was handed a lopsided defeat by eventual runner-up Coco Gauff, who improved to 3-0 against the rising teen.
Not to worry, Andreeva has a secret weapon by her side this week in Rome: four-time champion Conchita Martinez. No other player has won as many titles in succession as the Spaniard, and it’s a fact that isn’t lost on the 18-year-old Andreeva.
“I just, a couple of days ago, found out that she's won this tournament four times in a row,” Andreeva said. “I think it's a record. I don't think anyone has more titles in Rome in a row than her here. It's pretty nice. I hope she's going to share some tips with me, how to do the same.”
Though she hasn’t won a title since she stormed past Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final, Andreeva has been one of the best players on tour in 2025. She’s 24-6 with two titles, and after making her Top-10 debut in March, she sits at No.7, by far the highest-ranked teenager in the world – and she’s barely 18.
On Tuesday she told reporters how she’s taking it all in stride. In her mind, she hasn’t really done anything yet.
“I would say that I don't really feel the change in myself. I think that I'm still the same old Mirra whether I won the tournament or not,” she said in her pre-tournament press conference in Rome. “I think the players on tour, they're also treating me the same way. Nothing's changed. I think maybe they would treat me differently if I would win five slams, but it's not the time yet.”
Andreeva’s time, most believe, is coming. What she’s done already in 2025 makes her a contender to win a maiden major, and she’s still just learning the ropes on tour. Also working in her favor is that she’s not in a rush. Andreeva is as driven as they come, but also wise enough to know that Grand Slam titles don’t grow on trees. She’s operating under the premise that the work will get her there, and as long as she continues to put in those hard yards, it will happen. “I'm not going to put pressure on myself if I don't win the tournament I want to win, for example, this year, because I know I have time,” she said.
“I know that if I'm going to work hard and do everything I can, it's going to come – maybe not now, maybe it's going to take a year, maybe five, maybe 10. I don't know how life is going to go. I'm just going to take it slow, and at the same time I'm going to try to enjoy, then we're going to see how things are going to go.”
Andreeva, seeded seventh, will face either Viktoriya Tomova or Emiliano Arango in the second round after a bye in Rome.