Mirra Andreeva's Special Bond with Paris

Mirra Andreeva seems to have a special connection with Paris, the capital of France, which is nicknamed the "city of love." Her fond memories in Paris are brought along as the teenage tennis player competes in the French Open Grand Slam tournament.

Arriving at Roland Garros, Paris in 2025, Andreeva holds the status of the sixth seed. The sixth-ranked women's singles player in the world is competing in a Grand Slam for the first time as a top ten ranked player.

She played the first round of the 2025 French Open at Suzanne Lenglen Court on Tuesday (27/5/2025), against Cristina Busca (Spain). Appearing in the opening match on the court named after the former French tennis player—Suzanne Lenglen is also the name of the trophy for the women's singles champion—Andreeva struggled to find her rhythm in the game from the beginning to the middle of the first set.

Repeatedly, the 18-year-old tennis player complained while looking towards the stands, where her coach Conchita Martinez and other team members were seated. After trailing 2-4, Andreeva won the first set and performed better in the second set, ultimately winning with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

The youthful side of the youngest tennis player in the top 100 world rankings is indeed still evident. As he often admits, he is still quick to anger and expresses his frustrations candidly, including towards Martinez.

In an interview with former tennis player Alex Corretja in front of the audience at the stadium after winning the first round, Andreeva explained her activities before the match, which started at 11:00 local time. She resembled a student answering a teacher's question in detail.

"Today, I woke up at 06:40. Then, I had 35 minutes to pack my things into my bag and get ready. After that, I had breakfast for 25 minutes, followed by a 30-minute journey to get here. After 11 minutes in the changing room, I did my warm-up, then went to the field. Everything was done in an orderly manner according to plan," said the Russian tennis player.

"On the field, we warm up for 30-40 minutes with a training partner. We conclude that session with a practice together with Conchita. The training depends on her mood. If she is in a good mood, she doesn't make me move around much. Conversely, when she is upset, I have to run a lot," said Andreeva, who spoke without hesitation about her coach, a finalist of the 2000 French Open.

Although her innocent character as a teenager remains evident, Andreeva's performance during matches has become increasingly mature. Moreover, she adheres to the principle of "always one step ahead," as stated in her profile on her Instagram account.

That progress is evident every time she appears in Paris, particularly on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Andreeva made her debut at the French Open in 2023, which was also her first experience competing on the Grand Slam stage. Competing since the qualifying rounds, she advanced to the third round before being defeated by Cori Gauff.

Returning to the French Open in 2024, she was able to compete directly in the main draw. This time, her journey went further as she reached the semifinals. With her maturity under pressure, Andreeva eliminated the second seed, Aryna Sabalenka, in the quarterfinals with a score of 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.

Seventeen-year-old Andreeva became the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist in the women's singles category after Martina Hingis at the 1997 US Open. Although she lost to Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals, Andreeva has demonstrated her potential to be a competitor against the world's top tennis players.

I have many wonderful memories at Roland Garros.

Two months after becoming a semifinalist at the French Open, Andreeva returned to the same venue, this time for the Paris 2024 Olympics. As if competing in her own home, Andreeva gained valuable experience at Roland Garros once again. She won a silver medal in women's doubles while partnering with Diana Shnaider.

Outside of Paris, Andreeva surprised top world tennis players by winning two consecutive WTA 1000 tournaments in 2025, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Indian Wells, USA. She eliminated Iga Swiatek in both tournaments. The title at Indian Wells was even secured after defeating Swiatek and Sabalenka in the semifinals and finals.

With this series of results, her arrival in Paris this year has garnered greater attention. Moreover, the competition in the women's singles category is quite open.

If she can maintain her good performance, along with a special bond with Paris, Andreeva has the same opportunity as Sabalenka, Coco, and Swiatek, who have also advanced to the second round.

"I have many beautiful memories at Roland Garros. The 2024 French Open semifinal was one of my first tournaments with Conchita. I can't wait to compete here again and want to perform better than last year because I have a lot of extra motivation," said Andreeva. (afp)