Serena Williams' ex-coach makes bold prediction about Mirra Andreeva's future days after Russian's maiden WTA 1000 win in Dubai

Coach Rick Macci has heaped praise on the progress of teenage tennis prodigy Mirra Andreeva. Macci was one of the coaches responsible for Serena and Venus Williams' early tennis education, so he has the experience and knowledge needed to spot a star of the future.

17-year-old Andreeva tasted a good deal of success as a junior - she reached a junior Grand Slam final in Australia as a 15-year-old and then made her Top 100 debut just six months later. She then got to the semifinal at Roland Garros in 2024 after a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon the previous year, becoming the youngest player to reach that stage since Coco Gauff.

The Russian prodigy has started 2025 at a canter, culminating in her astonishing victory in the Dubai Tennis Championships last month. Andreeva beat Clara Tauson in straight sets in the final, but it was her conquests en route that stood out. She beat two Wimbledon champions, Elena Rybakina in the semifinal and Marketa Vondrousova in the Round of 32, as well as World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinal.

Rick Macci took to his X account to give his view of Andreeva's place in the world game:

"When players play Andreeva now it is a very different feeling. Before respect. Now fear. But it cuts both ways as she is done hunting and now will feel hunted. But nothing has changed! Things around everybody has changed. Still a court net lines and a street fight"

Macci's credentials are unquestionable. He is a USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) Master Professional and a seven-time USPTA coach of the year. He's coached five players who have made it to number one in the rankings, including Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. He's also in the USPTA Florida Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 2010.

Mirra Andreeva herself is fully aware of her potential. Before the Australian Open in January, she was interviewed by The Tennis Letter, where she was crystal clear about her objectives for this year. She said:

"My number one goal for 2025 is to crack the top 10. So I'm just gonna do my best from the first tournament of the season. I'm just gonna do my best and see if we can achieve this goal."

Rick Macci was immortalized in the movie King Richard and will be known to Andreeva as a coaching guru. His encouraging words could help the Russian achieve her goals this year, although her early progress suggests she'll do fine on her own.