Andreeva won her first Grand Slam at age 19, joining the ranks of teenage major champions like Sharapova, Serena Williams and more
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NEED TO KNOW
- Mirra Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open at just 19 years old
- Maria Sharapova, one of Andreeva’s idols, congratulated her and offered advice on handling pressure
- Now a top 5 player, Andreeva balances her career with a simple, “normal” teenage life off the court
Mirra Andreeva is taking after her idol.
After the 19-year-old tennis phenom won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open, congratulations poured in from all over the tennis world. One special acknowledgment came from a childhood role model, former No. 1 and five-time major champion Maria Sharapova — who, like Andreeva, launched herself into sports stardom as a teenager.
Sharapova, 39, wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Proud of you @_mirraandreeva_. The celebration says it all. Excited, but not satisfied. The sign of a champion.”
Andreeva admits to PEOPLE that she was “very surprised” Sharapova posted a congratulatory message for her.
“It was very nice to see, very special that she congratulated me,” she says.
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The two have met several times before, and Andreeva recalls talking to Sharapova about their respective careers. Sharapova, who hung up her racquet in February 2020 after 19 years on tour, “mentored me a little bit,” Andreeva reveals.
“I've been just asking how she dealt with pressure. What did she feel when she beat Serena [Williams] in the final when she won Wimbledon at 17,” she says. “Did she feel any pressure when she would come back and defend the title or defend the points when people would talk about her constantly?”
Andreeva became familiar with pressure at a young age, making her first big splash on the professional tour at 15. Since then, she’s been touted as one of the next generation’s biggest prospects. Still, even though she is top 5 in the world with six titles and an Olympic silver medal, Andreeva is just like any other teenager.
“I still like to not do anything when I'm off the court,” she says of her most “teenage” trait. “I'm that kind of person that whenever I get back to my room or to my apartment, I never go out anymore. So I just always like to stay in.”
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She adds, “Now I feel like every other girl. I like to watch TV series, I like to read books. I have a couple of hobbies that I like to spend some time doing when I'm at home or when I have some free time, and I love to talk to my family. So in that case, I feel like I'm very easygoing, very simple, like a normal girl.”
A “normal girl” with lofty goals, that is. For her next goal, Andreeva aims to lift every Grand Slam trophy at least once in her career. Now, she’s only three steps away.
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