Maria Sharapova meets with Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva on her visit to Wimbledon with fiance and son

17-year-old Mirra Andreeva met compatriot Maria Sharapova at the Wimbledon grounds before she began her campaign this year. Sharapova visited the All England Lawn Tennis Club with her fiance and son.

Andreeva is one of the most promising stars in the WTA circuit. She turned pro just two years ago and already has five Grand Slam main-draw appearances.

The Russian turned heads a month ago when she got the better of Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinal of the 2024 French Open. Although she lost in the next stage against Jasmine Paolini, her semifinal run etched her name in history as she became the youngest player to reach the last-four stage of Roland-Garros since Martina Hingis in 1997.

At Wimbledon this year, her inspiration could be her compatriot Sharapova. The five-time Grand Slam champion won her first Major at the age of 17 at Wimbledon. She defeated Serena Williams in the final in 2004 after making a quarterfinal run at the French Open in the same year.

Andreeva previously expressed a desire to know from Sharapova about her Wimbledon 2004 triumph as a 17-year-old.

“I would ask Maria what her feeling was like when she won her first Grand Slam at 17. Then I would want to know other things, but the first thing would to know what she felt after she won Wimbledon in 2004,” Andreeva told CLAY.

The pair may have indulged in this conversation as they met at the Wimbledon grounds on June 29. The 37-year-old visited the ground with her fiance British businessman Alexander Gilkes and their two-year-old son Theodore.

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Maria Sharapova predicted Mirra Andreeva's rise in 2024

Maria Sharapova at The Championships - Wimbledon 2018

In an interview with the WTA a few months ago, Maria Sharapova was asked which player could have a breakthrough season in 2024. The Russian tennis icon predicted her teenage compatriot to make a name for herself this year.

"I want to say Mirra Andreeva will have a phenomenal year. I followed a little bit of her matches in 23’ and I think she has a strong attitude [and] she has the game to back it up. Genuinely, just like her approach and her sensibility in the game. And I think she has a very bright future ahead of her," Sharapova said.

Maria Sharapova's prediction came true as Mirra Andreeva caused a huge upset in the French Open by defeating one of the favorites of the tournament Aryna Sabalenka.

Andreeva will appear in her second Wimbledon main draw as a 24th seed and open her campaign against Brenda Fruhvirtova.