"Mirra closed the semifinals like an adult and was the favorite of the final"

Russian tennis player Mirra Andreeva has won a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career — the French Open, better known as Roland Garros. The 19-year-old athlete became the youngest winner of this competition since 1990 and the first Russian woman to take this trophy since 2014. On June 6, in the final match, Andreeva beat the representative of Poland, Maya Chwalinska, who sensationally reached the decisive match.

In an interview with Izvestia, former world number three, two-time Roland Garros semifinalist in singles and 2012 finalist in doubles, Nadezhda Petrova commented on Mirra's triumph, explained the sensational success of her opponent in the finals, appreciated the performances of Russian men in Paris, and also spoke about the work of her tennis school for children and participation in SPIEF.

"It was clear that she was one of the favorites of Roland Garros 2026

— Mirra Andreeva achieved her first victory in a Grand Slam tournament by winning a trophy at Roland Garros. How did she do it?

— She was already very successful at Roland Garros. Her best achievements were on these courts. She and Diana Schneider won the Olympic silver medal in doubles two years ago there, in Paris. Then Mirra reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros last year. And last spring I performed very well at tournaments on clay courts, I played a lot of matches there. After that, it was clear that she was one of the favorites of Roland Garros 2026 and was capable of winning this tournament.

Everything was going well enough for her on the grid, Mirra passed the opponents quite comfortably. She won only one match in three sets, and in the rest of the games she confidently won in two sets. The semifinal is significant, which was not easy for her psychologically, since Andreeva recently lost to Marta Kostyuk in Madrid at the WTA-1000 tournament. But in the end, she won quite confidently at Roland Garros. I would say that I closed this match in a very mature way. And she was the favorite in the final. Mirra Andreeva's victory is a very significant achievement for her, the first major step into the elite of tennis. The title in France should give her confidence, self-confidence.

— Was Maja Hwalinska's opponent from Poland, who created a sensation by reaching the finals after qualifying for the tournament, dangerous for Mirra?

— Basically, if fate has given you such a chance, then you should use it and win the tournament. Yes, it is very difficult psychologically when you play with such an opponent, who can be called a dark horse. Moreover, Maya Hvalinska showed incredible and fearless tennis at this tournament. Here it was necessary to prepare well psychologically, to come out to play from yourself and not pay attention to the opposite side of the court and to who is on it. Since Mirra surpasses her opponent in the final in all technical aspects, she simply played her best tennis in this match.

— Did you understand for yourself how Khvalinska reached the finals from qualifying, knocking out Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals and Diana Schneider in the semifinals on the way?

— I really liked her game. The Parisian ground floor suits her style well — it's so deeply defensive. She pulls out difficult shots wonderfully and accurately and returns the balls back. Maya plays very steadily. Plus she's left-handed. She doesn't have powerful shots, she doesn't have a powerful serve, but there is a good variation of the game on this particular surface, where you can cut the ball, unscrew it, throw a "candle" or shorten the shot. Well, great movement at Khvalinskaya. I am very interested in how she will continue to play after changing the cover.

And you know, it happens during the season when you play a certain tournament right above your capabilities. Everything works out, everything adds up. It seems that the last Roland Garros was just such a tournament for Maya. All the stars have come together for her. And she is also surprised by her composure and calmness. After all, it was her first time at such a stage of a Grand Slam tournament in a big city like Paris. She was watched by full stands, and there was a lot of media attention. When all this hype is around, it's very difficult to keep your concentration. Maybe it was the work that affected her when she was struggling with depression, and she was taught to abstract from all her thoughts and feelings. It seems that Khvalinska does not give any emotional cracks. Closing matches is always exciting and nervous, but she didn't show such emotions at all.

"There was a big swing in the score, which is unusual for men's tennis"

— Could her victory in the semifinals over Schneider have been affected by the fact that Diana spent a lot of emotions on a sensational victory in the quarterfinals over Arina Sobolenko?

— Yes, of course. A lot of emotions were spent, it was not an easy match. And beating the first racket of the world at such a stage of the Grand Slam tournament was very important and significant for Diana. Especially to hang up the steering wheel for Arina. In addition, Schneider played her quarterfinal against Sobolenko in the evening session, it was a late match, while Khvalinska played with Anya Kalinska in the afternoon. Most likely, the adrenaline and emotions from defeating Arina did not immediately go away from Diana, she did not have time to calm down. I haven't fully recovered psychologically. But from a game point of view, she did everything to defeat Maya in the semifinals. It was obvious even from her face that she had fought to the end. The match turned out to be physically challenging, with many long draws. And in general, Diana showed herself well.

— None of our men reached the quarterfinals. Andrey Rublev was eliminated in the 1/8 finals, Karen Khachanov in the 1/16 finals, and Daniil Medvedev lost in the first round.

— I would say that for all our tennis players, the results at Roland Garros are not particularly satisfactory. Karen could have gone further, or the same Andrey, who eventually made an unsuccessful start against Jakub Menshik, losing two sets. It is difficult to comment on Daniil Medvedev's failure. There were some very big swings in the score, which is unusual for men's tennis. And also such a weak-willed end to the meeting, when Danya gave up his serve at zero. Of course, there are big questions for him. This shouldn't happen.

"We have a little star growing up, Margarita Klimova"

— You participated in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. What was interesting for you on it?

— As part of the participation in the session "Education of champions and development of sports schools in Russia" at the stand of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, I signed an agreement with Mikhail Evraev, Governor of the Yaroslavl Region, on the development of youth tennis and the possibility of opening a branch. The Yaroslavl region already has a good tradition in tennis, there are talented athletes, strong specialists and a great interest in this sport.

I am glad to start our cooperation. We see great potential in the region and are ready to invest our knowledge and experience in its development. It's not just about opening a school — we are bringing a ready-made, careful and professional training system for young athletes to the region. I would like to thank the head of the region for his support. I am sure that our partnership will be long-term and will bring real results. I really want to see the region's students among the leaders of Russian and world tennis in a few years.

Also, as part of the session, I announced the opening of the Lawn Tennis Development Center. Our key mission is to create a comprehensive, working system, search for and carefully develop young talents directly in the regions of Russia, and provide maximum opportunities for young tennis players. In the work of the center, we will combine the experience I have gained at my children's school in Moscow and at the branch in Yelabuga. Together with the Center's partners, we will support talented children as much as possible, including giving them free lessons (hours) on the courts with coaches, providing equipment and inventory.

— In 2024, the project of the branch of your school in Yelabuga (Republic of Tatarstan) was loudly presented at the SPIEF. How is it developing now?

— More than 100 children are currently studying at the Yelabuga branch, and our students are already becoming winners and prize-winners of major competitions. These are the first stars of the branch. For example, Veronika Krasovskaya, she is now 10 years old. When she joined our branch, she was ranked 32nd in Russia in terms of her age, and now she is the sixth in the country and the first in the Republic of Tatarstan.

We also have a little star growing up, Margarita Klimova. She has already conquered the capital with a red and orange ball and won her first green ball tournament when she traveled to Tula. Now we are carefully preparing her for the moment when she turns eight years old, and she will be able to fully enter the big competitions, winning the rating. I am sure that this is a future champion who will compete in Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic Games.