"Really difficult to have a friend" - Mirra Andreeva's rival Alina Korneeva calls tennis a "snake sport" as she discusses relationship with compatriot

Up-and-coming tennis player Alina Korneeva made an honest admission about her relationship with compatriot Mirra Andreeva.

There has been a buzz around 17-year-old Russian tennis player Andreeva and 16-year-old Korneeva ever since they paired up in girls’ doubles at the 2023 Australian Open and went up against each other in the singles final.

Korneeva came out on top in the singles summit clash to lift her maiden junior Grand Slam title. She subsequently reached No. 1 in the ITF junior world rankings, and also clinched her second girls’ Major at the 2023 French Open.

Alina Korneeva spoke about her relationship with Mirra Andreeva, seemingly denying any friendship between the two.

"I think in sports, it is really difficult to have a friend – really difficult. And I can’t say that I want it," she said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda in February during her WTA 125K campaign.

During their 2023 Australian Open campaign, Andreeva had reportedly called Korneeva her “best friend.” The latter had reciprocated the acknowledgment by assuring her they would be having “a lot of good matches” in the future.

But in the aforementioned interview, Korneeva called tennis a “snake sport,” seemingly referring to its highly competitive nature. The Russian further suggested that she focuses on herself rather than on any on-tour friendships.

"Because, I call our sport ‘snake sport.’ And my brother calls it snake sport, I think it is really true. So I don’t think about this and just focus on myself," she added.

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A brief look at how Mirra Andreeva and Alina Korneeva have fared on the pro WTA circuit

Mirra Andreeva and Alina Korneeva pictured at the 2023 Australian Open

Alina Korneeva achieved a career-best ranking of World No. 128 earlier this year. She made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2024 Australian Open, where reached the second round as a qualifier. The 16-year-old has since contested the 2024 Hua Hin Championships, where she was successful in the qualifiers but fell short of a main draw win.

At the WTA 125K Mumbai Open, Korneeva failed to make it past the quarterfinals. She has since been out of action, having undergone wrist surgery.

While Alina Korneeva won her second junior Grand Slam title at the 2023 French Open, Mirra Andreeva made her pro Grand Slam debut at the same event, reaching the third round as a qualifier.

Andreeva has since bettered her results at Slams, making the fourth round of both the 2023 Wimbledon Championships and the 2024 Australian Open. At the event in Melbourne, she earned her maiden top-10 win by defeating three-time Major finalist Ons Jabeur in the second round.

Mirra Andreeva also reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 Madrid Open, where she lost to eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka. At the ongoing French Open, she turned the tables, beating the World No. 2 with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4 scoreline to advance to her maiden Grand Slam semifinal.

Doing so, she also became the youngest Major semifinalist of the century. The teenager has now risen to a career-high of No. 23 in the live rankings. She faces Jasmine Paolini for a spot in her maiden major final on Thursday, June 6.