Will Mirra Andreeva Follow the Wave and Leave Russian Tennis?
Former tennis star Andrei Chesnokov predicts French Open champion Mirra Andreeva will soon change her sporting nationality, following a broader wave of Russian players shifting allegiance.
Will the wave of Russian tennis players changing their nationality reach rising star Mirra Andreeva as well? Former world No. 9 and seven-time ATP title winner Andrei Chesnokov believes that the young French Open champion will soon switch her sporting citizenship to represent another country.
"I think Andreeva will leave, it is only a matter of time," the 60-year-old Chesnokov told RBC. "She lives and trains in France, so she will definitely leave, but so will our other top players... The current trend is that everyone is leaving. As you can see, each chooses what is most convenient for them."
Twenty-eight-year-old Anna Blinkova, ranked 94th in the world, announced last week that she has switched to represent France, becoming the 15th Russian tennis player to change countries. Elena Rybakina made the shift back in 2018 to represent Kazakhstan, but following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and amidst ongoing conflicts, players such as Anastasia Potapova (Austria), Daria Kasatkina (Australia), Kamilla Rakhimova, and Maria Timofeeva (Uzbekistan) have also made the switch.
The 19-year-old tennis star, currently ranked fifth in the world, holds six WTA singles titles and reached her career peak this year by claiming her first Grand Slam title on the clay courts of Paris.
Yesterday, Andreeva was upset in the quarterfinals of the Singapore tournament, losing 6:2, 7:5 to Canadian Leylah Fernandez (31). She also fell to Fernandez in straight sets during the third round in Toronto at the beginning of August.
