16-year-old Russian tennis starlet, Mira Andreeva, is slowly moving up the ranks in the tennis circuit. She is having a breakthrough 2023 season, already having reached the third and the fourth rounds at the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, respectively. As a result, Andreeva has drawn comparisons to fellow Russian tennis legend Maria Sharapova. However, she has issued a strong statement about this ahead of her match against Coco Gauff.

Like Sharapova, Andreeva is also showing promising signs at a very young age. She has captured the tennis world’s eyes with scintillating performances in her debut season on the WTA Tour. Here’s what she said about drawing parallels with Sharapova.

Mirra Andreeva doesn’t want to be compared to Maria Sharapova

Ahead of the big match against the local favorite, Gauff, Andreeva was engaged in a conversation with CLAYTENIS, where she talked about her tennis journey and comparisons to compatriot, Sharapova. She made her intentions clear by dismissing talks about following Sharapova’s path.

Talking about this, she said, “People may say, perhaps, that I’m following her path and doing the same as her, but I don’t focus on that. I have my own career, my own life. I will only do my best to create a great career.”

It is a strong statement coming from a 16-year-old, denying comparisons to Sharapova. She looks extremely confident ahead of her big showdown against America’s current tennis darling Gauff.

Mirra Andreeva looking to upset Coco Gauff

The two will face off in the second round of the 2023 US Open. It will be the second meeting between the two, having faced earlier at this year’s French Open. On that occasion, the American prevailed in three sets. She will hope to repeat her performance with home support in her favor.

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Meanwhile, Andreeva is coming into the match with a come-from-behind victory in the first round against Olivia Gadecki of Australia. It’ll be interesting to see if she can upset Gauff at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

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