Andrea Petkovic names the youngster on the WTA Tour who she thinks is like a ‘modern Martina Hingis’

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Martina Hingis enjoyed a legendary tennis career winning five Grand Slam titles, reaching world number one in the process.

The Swiss star burst onto the scene in the late 1990s, dominating the WTA Tour for several years.

Hingis took home her first Grand Slam title at the 1997 Australian Open, kicking off a fantastic campaign that saw her fall just one win short of the Calendar Grand Slam.

Her 4-6, 2-6 defeat to Iva Majoli in the French Open final was followed by victories at Wimbledon and the US Open as she came painfully close to achieving the sport’s most difficult goal.

28 years on, another 17-year-old is impressing in women’s tennis, having won titles at the Dubai Tennis Championships and Indian Wells, as one former WTA star now compares the two.

Andrea Petkovic says Mirra Andreeva is like a ‘modern Martina Hingis’

Speaking on the Becker Petkovic podcast, former world number nine Andrea Petkovic named the player who reminds her of Hingis.

“For those who may not have seen her play yet, she [Mirra Andreeva] is a bit like a modern Martina Hingis,” she said.

“In the sense of, she has a lot of game intelligence, is a very good counter player, one of the best-passing strokes on the tour at the moment, so attacking against her, you have to have a lot of courage because she is so precise in her passing strokes.

“But she is the modern version, which means she can also pick up the pace, especially with the backhand down the line, which she plays out of nowhere.

“She’s incredibly good at the defense, she can really turn defensive positions into offensive ones and she has a really good serve.”

Andreeva won the Indian Wells title earlier this month, beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Looking to extend her WTA 1000 winning streak to three, Andreeva fell short as she lost to Amanda Anisimova at the Miami Open.

Having suffered a tough defeat at the hands of the American, Andreeva may well take comfort from the kind words of Petkovic’s co-host and six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker.

“[Mirra] Andreeva has arrived, we all have to remember the name,” he said.

Can Mirra Andreeva break Martina Hingis’ Impressive Grand Slam record in 2025?

Hingis broke several ‘youngest’ records during the 1990s as she rose to the top of women’s tennis as a teenager.

With her win in Melbourne 28 years ago, Hingis became the youngest player to win a Major title at just 16 years of age.

Unfortunately for Andreeva, she will turn 18 before the year’s next Grand Slam tournament, as the record remains out of reach.

However, she could enter the top ten list with a title in Paris, becoming the eighth youngest WTA Grand Slam winner.

The Russian will head to the French capital as one of the favorites having enjoyed a career-best Grand Slam result at Roland Garros last year.

Taking down Sabalenka in the last eight, Andreeva reached her first Major semi-final before falling to defeat against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.

Mirra Andreeva’s 2024 French Open run

• SF – Mirra Andreeva lost to Jasmine Paolini, 3-6, 1-6
• QF – Mirra Andreeva beat Aryna Sabalenka, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4
• 4R – Mirra Andreeva beat Varvara Gracheva, 7-5, 6-2
• 3R – Mirra Andreeva beat Peyton Stearns, 6-2, 6-1
• 2R – Mirra Andreeva beat Victoria Azarenka, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
• 1R – Mirra Andreeva beat Emina Bektas, 6-2, 6-3

Only time will tell if she can go all the way this time around when the 2025 French Open begins on Sunday, May 25.