Martina Navratilova gives reasons for why Mirra Andreeva reminds her of Carlos Alcaraz

Martina Navratilova delved into how she found Mirra Andreeva's game similar to Carlos Alcaraz's. The Russian tennis prodigy has had a marvelous rise to the higher strata of the tennis world by winning back-to-back WTA 1000 events.

The 17-year-old stunned the world, when she won the Dubai Tennis Championship, becoming the youngest woman to win a WTA 1000 event. She replicated this in Indian Wells in an even more astounding fashion, defeating the likes of Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka, en route to the title.

The Russian is competing at the Miami Open, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. A special interview, featuring the inaugural champions of the event Tim Mayotte, men's singles, and Martina Navratilova, women's singles, and event founder Butch Buchholz, was held before the tournament.

During the interview, Navratilova touched upon the explosive rise of Mirra Andreeva, comparing her style to Carlos Alcaraz's, another tennis prodigy who made his rise to the top of the game at the age of 19, becoming the youngest World No. 1 ever in the ATP rankings.

"She’s got all the bases covered, reminds me of Alcaraz. She has no weakness, moves well, and turns defense into offense. She’s got all the weapons, nice touch as well, and really good technique," Martina Navratilova said.

The Spaniard was the defending champion on the men's side but lost to Jack Draper in the semifinal.

Navratilova also explained some other aspects, which weren't directly related to her game, which made the 17-year-old talent even more dangerous.

"Mirra Andreeva's not scared to lose" - Martina Navratilova opens up about the Russian's strong mentality

Mirra Andreeva with her Indian Wells Open trophy - Source: Getty

Continuing her thoughts, in the above-mentioned interview, Martina Navratilova marveled at Mirra Andreeva's strong mentality. She touched upon how she carefully studied the game, alluding to her notebook which went viral during the BNP Paribas Open.

"And most of all, here (points to the mind). I mean, she is a student of the game, writing notes on everybody, she's got the black book going, and she's a sponge, she takes it all in. And she loves competing, she loves it. She loves competing. She's not scared to lose. She wants to win, I love it."

Navratilova also gave Conchita Martinez credit for Andreeva's astronomical rise.

"I think her partnership with Conchita was a stroke of genius."

Martina Navratilova is not the only tennis legend who credited Conchita Martinez for Andreeva's success, as Boris Becker also thought the young Russian was 'lucky' to have Martinez by her side.

On the tennis side, Mirra Andreeva, seeded 11th, will face Veronika Kudermetova in the second round of the 2025 Miami Open.