“Mirra Andreeva's game reminds of Martina Hingis”: Aryna Sabalenka’s coach Anton Dubrov praises 17-year-old Russian, says she 'deserves' the attention

Aryna Sabalenka's coach, Antonio Dubrov, recently hailed Mirra Andreeva and mentioned how her game reminded him of Swiss legend Martina Hingis'. He highlighted a certain specific skill of the Russian's game which according to him, made her deserving of attention.

17-year-old Andreeva has been sending shockwaves throughout the tennis world with her monumental rise. This year, the Russian clinched her maiden WTA title at the Iasi Open, reached the semifinals of the French Open defeating Aryna Sabalenka en route, and has secured wins over Top 10 players like Ons Jabeur (Australian Open), Marketa Vondrousova (Madrid Open), and Jasmine Paolini.

She also clinched the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women's doubles alongside Diana Shnaider.

During a conversation with news outlet Championat, Aryna Sabalenka's coach Anton Dubrov was asked whether the hype around Mirra Andreeva was justified. The Belarusian coach felt the hype was deserved and also said that her game reminded her of Martina Hingis'.

Hingis was a teenage phenom herself clinching all five of her Majors before turning 20. She became the youngest Grand Slam winner after clinching the 1997 Australian Open as a 16-year-old.

Dubrov explained that Mirra Andreeva's understanding of tennis surpassed that of most of the players on tour and highlighted her ability to neutralize the strengths of her opponents.

”It's deserved, at least because she's 17 years old. And at the age of 17, her game reminds me of Martina Hingis: her understanding of the court is better than that of the vast majority of players. She can use any tactics and counter the strength of the opponent well: she understands better how to neutralize them. Which is very important."

He further added,

"If the girls come out and hope for some shots without playing the rally to the end, Mirra can neutralize the attack, force them to re-enter the rally. And when you are not ready for it, neither physically nor mentally, you start to fade away somewhere.”

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"The simpler it is, the better" - Aryna Sabalenka's coach Anton Dubrov lauds Mirra Andreeva for sticking to the fundamentals

Mirra Andreeva (Source: Getty)

Anton Dubrov further added how Mirra Andreeva had a simple play style. He said that having a simpler play style was better since it indicated that the player was sticking to their fundamentals. Not only did he appreciate the Russian's game but also her ability to tackle the media attention.

”She has a good serve, she plays simply. But the simpler it is, the better, because you're not trying to show off, but proceed from simple fundamentals. Everything comes together: her attractive game, her youth, which attracts media attention, which she copes with quite well."

However, Dubrov did question if her development path will always be steady and without any thorns. He felt that if Andreeva continued going about things, the way she had up till now, then she would be on the right track.

"But the question is how she will develop further physically and how her game develops. If she continues to strive to develop in the same way, then everything will be fine.”

Mirra Andreeva is currently competing at the China Open where she is the 17th seed, as a result of which she received a bye in the opening round. She staged an impressive comeback in her opening match against Irina Begu to win (5)6-7, 6-1, 6-1. She will face 16th seed Donna Vekic next.

Aryna Sabalenka is also competing at the WTA 1000 and is the top seed. She defeated Mananchaya Sawangkaew and now awaits Ashlyn Krueger.