Andreeva is Hungry for Grass Season After Paris Triumph

Mirra Andreeva says she’s thrilled to be a Grand Slam champion, but after her win in Saturday’s final, she talked like a woman who woul prefer a two-time Grand Slam champion. Like quality time with a puppy, the Grand Slam winning feeling is one she wants more of, said the 19-year-old after her straight sets victory over Maja Chwalinkska in Saturday’s Roland Garros final. 

“These feelings are something extra special,” she said. “Honestly, now I’m already thinking of how I’m going to prepare for the grass season, how I’m going to play grass tournaments – I feel like this thing is a little bit addicting, and I really want to do my best to experience all of this for the second time.” 

Andreeva, has always been good on the Parisian clay, so it’s no surprise that her Grand Slam breakout came here. She won her first Grand Slam main draw match here in 2023, then reached her first major semifinal in 2024. 

She’s now 18-3 lifetime at Roland Garros.

This year she was a picture of focus and determination as she handled all challenges to become the youngest Roland Garros women’s singles winner since Monica Seles in 1992. She says that visualing victory helped her take it over the finish line this weekend in Paris. 

“I’ve had a lot of thoughts on how it’s going to happen, if it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen,” she said.  “I would say that the feeling in real life is so much better, obviously, than in your dreams. It just feels looking at this trophy and realizing that this is actually true, and I can call myself a Grand Slam champion.”

Now that she joined the list of major winners, the fame and adulation will only increase. Andreeva says she’s not about to let it change her. 

And as far as her post-match habit of thanking herself in her speech – a nice tradition that has been well-received by the public, she says she’s going to keep backing herself no matter what. 

“I don’t think it’s going to change,” she said. “I think it’s all going to stay the same. Maybe it’s going to change for the next two or three days, but other than that, I’m going to stay the same. I’m not going to change a lot.

“Why not thank yourself? Because you are the one that works, you are the one that is doing the job, you’re the one that is feeling all the nerves. After some time, I realized that it’s actually very important to thank yourself.”