Meet Mirra Andreeva, the Russian winner of Roland Garros 2026 (PHOTOS)

"I've been watching Roland Garros since I was a child and always dreamed of winning this trophy," Mirra admits. She was born in Krasnoyarsk in 2007. Her mother, Raisa, a huge fan of the sport, introduced her to tennis. "At first, she enrolled my older sister in a tennis program. From around the age of three, I spent all my free time on the court, collecting or retrieving balls and I started playing relatively late, at the age of six," she said.

Mirra took her first steps under the guidance of coach Marina Pavlova, but the harsh Siberian climate forced a change of plans. The Andreevs decided to move to Sochi so they could play on different surfaces. Kirill Kryukov, whom they had met a few years earlier, became the girls’ coach. He said of Mirra: “She was quick to pick things up right away. Little kids are all different. Some need to be entertained, while others immediately understand why they’re there. She has a good view of the court, a good feel for the ball, and a good understanding of how to outplay her opponent. She has a very sharp mind – a tennis brain, tennis intelligence. She understood everything from childhood and almost always made the right decisions. Naturally, she has an excellent feel for the ball. She hits exactly where she aims.”

Kryukov notes that an additional incentive for Mirra to push forward was the example set by her older sister Erika, who had begun climbing the tournament rankings several years earlier and, at age 14, became the world’s third-ranked player in her age group.

Tennis is Andreeva’s true passion. She admits that she misses training. “I love holding a racket in my hands, feeling the handle with fresh stringing in my palm. And I love the sound the strings make when you hit the ball with the center of the string bed. Sometimes, they give me a week off to recharge, but I can't take it anymore after about the third day and start hitting the ball against the wall or at least mimicking shots.”

Due to her busy schedule, the athlete switched to distance learning at age 12. After winning the ‘Orange Bowl’ junior tournament in 2019, she caught the attention of scouts and was invited to join the Russian junior national team. Two years later, she won the Junior World Cup in the Czech Republic. In 2022, the Andreevs began training at the ‘Elite Academy’ in Cannes. That same year, Mirra won four International Tennis Federation tournaments – two in Antalya, Turkey, and one each in El Espinar, Spain, and Meitar, Israel. She then reached the semifinals of the junior Australian Open.

After a string of victories in WTA tournaments, Andreeva began to be dubbed “the next Maria Sharapova”. This was confirmed when the 16-year-old reached the Wimbledon round of 16 and was named Newcomer of the Year: Mirra soared 359 spots in the WTA rankings, climbing to No. 46!

In 2024, the tennis player began working with a new coach – Conchita Martinez, who praised her for her protege’s great potential. "If she continues like this, I think she will achieve great things and become one of the best tennis players in the world!"

Mirra continued her meteoric rise to the top of the tennis world, reaching the semifinals of the French Open in Summer 2024 – where she defeated the then-world No. 2, Belarusian Arina Sobolenko. She claimed her first WTA tournament victory a month later, defeating Elina Avanesyan in Romania. Later, partnering with Diana Schneider in doubles, she won the Russian team’s only silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

After her victory in Dubai in 2025, Andreeva became the youngest winner of a WTA 1000 tournament and entered the top 10 tennis players in the world. This summer has been a record-breaking one for the Russian in every sense. The 19-year-old won 16 matches at Roland Garros, then won the final. She’s now ranked sixth in the world and leads the WTA Champions Race to Singapore.

Andreeva is friends with tennis players Victoria Mboko and Dina Schnyder. Despite her heavy workload and schedule, she enjoys reading and watching TV series in her free time. She also adores dogs: A few years ago, she revealed that her mother promised her a dog if she made it into the WTA top 20. Last year, she adopted an adorable Bernedoodle puppy and named it ‘Rassie’. She's also a fan of Andy Murray; a few years ago, the legendary tennis player wrote a post in support of her, praising her for her self-discipline and mental resilience and calling her a winner.