Mirra Andreeva has already achieved what many players spend years chasing. On June 6, the 19-year-old won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, beating Poland’s Maja Chwalińska in straight sets. The victory made her the youngest French Open women’s champion since Monica Seles and placed her alongside some of the biggest names in tennis history.
While many fans are still celebrating her breakthrough moment, Andreeva is already thinking about the future. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the young star shared that she once told her parents she planned to stay on the professional tour until she was 38 years old. Even though she admitted that number is not fixed, she made it clear that she believes she still has many years left in the sport.
Overcoming Pressure and Self-Doubt
The French Open title was a major milestone, but it came after years of learning how to deal with the pressure that comes with early success. Andreeva rose quickly through the rankings and became one of the most talked-about young players in tennis. However, staying at the top brought new challenges.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Andreeva opened up about the attention she received after breaking onto the professional tour. She explained that the excitement was enjoyable at first, but things became more difficult when expectations started growing.
“At the beginning it was great. You have so much attention, everyone starts to follow you, everyone starts to talk about you. But then, when the time is coming when you have to defend the title or the points … obviously you just start to overthink more,” Andreeva said.
The Russian-born player first caught the tennis world’s attention in 2023 when she reached the third round of the French Open at just 16 years old. She continued her rise and entered the world’s top 10 in 2025 after winning the Dubai WTA 1000 title.
Still, there were difficult moments along the way. One of them came during the 2026 Madrid Open when she lost after leading 5-1 in the deciding set. During that match, Andreeva was heard telling coach Conchita Martínez, “I’m not a champion. I will lose.”
Looking back on that period, Andreeva admitted it was painful. “It was not the greatest feeling, I’ll be honest,” she told PEOPLE. “Now I feel like, whatever happened, it was all worth it.”
She also credited Martínez for helping her handle pressure better and improve her mindset. With a Grand Slam trophy already in her collection and a long-term goal of staying in tennis for many years, Andreeva’s journey may still be only getting started.
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