Tennis icon reveals ‘Mirra Andreeva asked me if I would want to coach her’

Tennis icon Martina Hingis has revealed she was approached by Mirra Andreeva to work with the Russian in a coaching role.
Teen star Andreeva, 17, has often been compared to the Swiss due to her game style and tactical ability, alongside her huge success at a young age.
Hingis is widely considered to be one of the greatest prodigies in the history of the sport, being just 16 years of age when she won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1997 Australian Open.
2024 saw Andreeva win her first WTA title in Iasi and defeat Aryna Sabalenka to make the last four of the French Open – her first Grand Slam semi-final.
The 17-year-old was the youngest Grand Slam women’s singles semi-finalist since Hingis at the 1997 US Open, and the youngest at Roland Garros since the Swiss that same season.
Speaking to the Australian Open’s AO Show Podcast, the former world No 1 revealed she was a fan of the Russian – and had been asked by the 17-year-old to potentially be her coach.
“I enjoy watching Mirra Andreeva,” said Hingis.
“She was one of those that she made like quarterfinals, semi-finals at various events, like at the French and she did well in Australia, and all of a sudden my name came up.
“It was also funny, because this year she asked me if I would want to coach her. And I’m a big fan of hers, the way she plays.
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“Unfortunately I couldn’t take that job because of my daughter going to kindergarten and I’m not able to travel as much.
“But Conchita Martinez is doing a great job with helping her on the way and defining her game and making her a better player – so we’ll see how far she’s going to take it.”
Andreeva is currently ranked 16th in the world and begins her 2025 season at the Brisbane International, where she is the eighth seed.
Many have predicted that she could be primed to break the top 1o of the WTA Rankings in 2025, and potentially contend for a Grand Slam title.
And Hingis, a 25-time major winner across all formats, believes the Russian can “definitely” reach the top 10 if she can make some key improvements.
She added: “I like her style, I like her attitude.
“The thing is that even Mirra says about herself, she’s not as maybe aggressive, which I would like to see her do a little bit more, coming in and taking the ball on the rise, and step in and move forward.
“I think in my [view], if she can make that extra step, that will make her a top-10 player, definitely.”