Mirra Andreeva suggests she cannot be as aggressive as Aryna Sabalenka, one of the biggest hitters in women’s tennis.
Sabalenka has enjoyed phenomenal success thanks to her approach, with the Belarusian currently the WTA number one.
She has also claimed four Grand Slam titles and a huge 23 career titles, with further success now being eyed at the Miami Open.
World number 10 Andreeva is also playing at the tournament in Miami, during which she discussed her aggression levels on court.
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Mirra Andreeva suggests she can’t be as aggressive as Aryna Sabalenka
After beating Marie Bouzkova in the third round, Andreeva was asked on Tennis Channel how she balances being steady and ultra-aggressive, having been told that she looks like she is getting stronger and can hit the ball bigger.
She responded: “Well we’re trying to kind of find the right balance with that.
“Because I think that it’s not very good for me personally if I just try to be so aggressive like, I don’t know, like Aryna, that you know she hits every ball, I don’t know, 100 miles per hour and she just goes for it.
“I mean she’s playing great don’t get me wrong. I just have a different kind of game style.
“So we’re trying to balance between where I can be aggressive and when it’s better for me maybe to stay in the point and just build a point, get the opponent tired, and then when she’s tired, I will just finish the point.
“And I feel like that’s how I play. I just try to build the point, slowly but surely.”
Andreeva has also beaten McCartney Kessler at this year’s Miami Open, where the eighth seed now meets Victoria Mboko.
Meanwhile, top seed Sabalenka plays against Caty McNally in round three after winning her opener against Ann Li.
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Mirra Andreeva sometimes delves into statistics before matches
Andreeva was also tasked with discussing her pre-match approach with her team, having been asked how much they delve into the stats.
The Russian replied: “Well, sometimes like usually before the match to see what kind of an opponent I play.
“We’re trying to look into statistics of who I play just to get some numbers here and there but obviously it’s just for me to have something in my head but other than that I’m just trying to stick to whatever Conchita [Martinez] says to do on the court, and then if it doesn’t work I’m like ah fine I’ll just do whatever I want then and that’s it.”
Andreeva now plays an opponent she knows very well, having already met Canadian star Mboko twice this season.
They have a 1-1 head-to-head record, with the top 10 duo intriguingly playing doubles together before their singles clash.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2026 | Mboko | Doha | Round of 16 | Hard | 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7-5) |
| 2026 | Andreeva | Adelaide | Final | Hard | 6-3, 6-1 |
Mboko is close friends with Andreeva, but that friendship must now be put to one side after their doubles tie against Demi Schuurs and Ellen Perez.
The Russian deserves huge praise for her relatively brief career so far, from which she boasts four WTA titles aged just 18.
That includes back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at Dubai and Indian Wells and this year’s Adelaide International, where she beat Mboko in the final.
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