Former number one's tirade about Andreeva: "By the way she is playing, she has no chance of winning a Grand Slam"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 6 Feb 2026 | 19.22

Former number one's outburst about Andreeva: "Due to the way she is playing, she has no chance of winning a Grand Slam." Photo: Getty Images

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First reviews of the year for Mirra Andreeva. The young Russian tennis player, who turns 19 this year, has not started 2026 in the best possible way, after falling in the round of 16 of the Australian Open against Elina Svitolina and giving the impression that she still needs to take a further step in her tennis and mindset to contend for a Grand Slam title.

The pupil of Conchita Martinez usually reaches the second weeks of the 'Majors,' with her best result being the semifinals at Roland Garros 2024. Additionally, last year she won two consecutive WTA 1000 events (Dubai, Indian Wells), defeating Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek in both tournaments, and Aryna Sabalenka in the final in California.

But it seems that was her peak; more was expected from her on the clay court swing, where she reached the quarterfinals in Paris, the same round as at Wimbledon. While an ankle twist caused her to arrive at the US Open in discomfort, and she ran out of steam in the final stretch of the season, leading to a loss of the points cushion she had and failing to qualify for the WTA Finals.

And it appears that in this new season, she continues to face the same issues: disconnecting in matches she had under control, failing to capitalize on her opportunities, and lacking order in her game. However, it is worth noting that she is only 18 years old and has a bright future ahead. Nevertheless, former world number one and compatriot Yevgeny Kafelnikov is not so optimistic.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov is very unhappy with Mirra Andreeva's level

"Andreeva needs to change significantly if she wants to reach the top of this sport. Honestly, I wish I hadn't seen that match between Andreeva and Svitolina because it really revealed a large number of deficiencies in Mirra's game," stated the 1996 Roland Garros and 1999 Australian Open champion on the First & Red channel.

And while the Russian did not play her best match against the Ukrainian, Kafelnikov raised the level of his criticism: "Honestly, for the way she is playing right now, she has no prospects of becoming world number one or having a chance to win a Grand Slam."

Her compatriot wants Andreeva to end the 12-year Grand Slam drought in Russian tennis (Maria Sharapova was the last one at Roland Garros 2014), but as of today, he does not see it happening: "We must face reality head-on. I truly wish, and I say this sincerely, that she improves as a tennis player and wins many Grand Slam tournaments, but in order to achieve that, something has to change."

As if he hadn't stirred the pot enough, the former world number one also mentioned a player, one of the surprises of the Australian Open, who, in his opinion, has more potential than Andreeva: "I just took a look: Jovic is a young American. If you compare them, they are the same age. Who do I prefer? Jovic's potential is ten times greater than Andreeva's. We have to be objective," declared Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who does not appear very satisfied with the current state or future prospects of his compatriot Mirra Andreeva.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La rajada de un exnúmero uno sobre Andreeva: "Por la forma en que está jugando, no tiene opciones de ganar un Grand Slam"

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