Former tennis legend Maria Sharapova lavished praise on the upcoming generation of women’s tennis players, highlighting Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva as two especially promising talents.
For a young tennis player, it can be extremely challenging to become a tennis icon like Maria Sharapova or Serena Williams. Becoming an icon takes more than just winning races. It entails influencing the public, exciting the media, and drawing in million-dollar sponsors.
While switching to pickleball, Sharapova stays involved in the tennis community and keeps a close eye on the future stars of the women’s game.
In a recent interview, Sharapova shared that she was thrilled to see up-and-coming players like Andreeva making waves on the circuit and that she was quite impressed by Gauff’s victory at the 2023 US Open.
Sharapova recently stated her remarks about Gauff and Andreeva and said: “We’re seeing a lot more consistency in the women’s game and that’s been refreshing. I’ve enjoyed watching a new generation rise to the occasion. I was very impressed with how Coco handled the US Open win in New York last year. Also, it’s great to see the rise of new names and opportunities for athletes like Mirra Andreeva.”
Additionally, Sharapova expressed her gratitude for the increasing consistency in women’s tennis, describing it as a welcome development.
Coco Gauff in 2024
Ranked no.3 (career-high), Coco played her last match on the 25th of January when she lost to world no.2 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(2) 6-4 in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).
Currently, during this year Gauff has a compiled 10-1 record. Gauff has won 1 title in Auckland.
Gauff is scheduled to compete next in Doha (Qatar TotalEnergies Open). She will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 12th of February.
Mirra Andreeva in 2024
Ranked world no.35 (career-high), Andreeva played her last match on the 21st of January when she capitulated to world no.12 Barbora Krejcikova 4-6 6-3 6-2 in the 4th round of the Australian Open (draw).
At the moment, during this season Mirra has achieved an overall 6-2 win-loss record.
Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva squared off just on 2 occasions. Their record is 2-0 for Gauff. The last time they fought against each other, Coco Gauff won 6-3 6-2 in the 2nd round in New York (U.S. Open) in August 2023.
Here are the highlights.