Mirra Andreeva has had a mixed start to the 2026 season, with the teenager under a lot of spotlight following some of her recent losses.
Andreeva won her fourth WTA title at the Adelaide International in January, as she appeared to be back on track following a difficult end to the 2025 season.
However, there have been some worrying signs since then, particularly at Indian Wells where Andreeva took her emotions out on the crowd after losing to Katerina Siniakova.
Andreeva has been predicted to win Grand Slam titles in the future, but former world number one Dinara Safina has suggested that there could be an issue for her achieving these goals.
Dinara Safina suggests Mirra Andreeva may struggle to win a Grand Slam
There has been a theme with Andreeva’s recent losses, as all of her four most recent defeats have been in three set matches.
Many of these have been very close-fought, but that was not the case for Andreeva’s most recent loss to fellow teenager Victoria Mboko in Miami, where she was beaten 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-0.
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Following this loss, Safina, who never won a Grand Slam title herself, discussed Andreeva’s recent form and behavior in an audio message on Telegram.
The three-time major finalist claimed that Andreeva ‘can’t handle the pressure’, before Safina suggested that the 18-year-old may be struggling with the expectations of being seen as a future Grand Slam champion.
“I don’t know what Mirra’s going through right now, of course. I can only guess — she can’t handle the pressure,” said Safina.
“When Anna [Chakvetadze] and I record the podcast, we talk a lot about how players’ desire to quickly reach the top, second, or third rankings in the world, to win a Grand Slam — it’s a colossal burden.
“They might not be able to handle it. You have to be prepared for everything, and when this weight of responsibility hits them, when they start demanding victories and expectations, they immediately say, : ‘What are you demanding of us? What do you expect from us?’
“But that’s part of your job, your profession. It’s normal that you have a certain rating, and advertisers, coaches, people, your fans demand or expect results from you.”
What is next for Mirra Andreeva?
While some of her recent reactions after losing matches have been concerning, it is important to remember that Andreeva is still in the top eight of the race to the WTA Finals.
Andreeva will now look ahead to the clay court season, where it all started for her in 2023 at the Madrid Open, where she turned 16 years old.
The clay court season has also seen Andreeva produce her best Grand Slam result to date, as she reached the semifinals of Roland Garros in 2024.
Andreeva will begin her clay court season at the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart, which also features Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
She will also play at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, as Andreeva looks to return to form ahead of Roland Garros.
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