Teen star Mirra Andreeva is through to the fourth round of Wimbledon 2025, reaching this stage for the second time in her young career. She’s yet to drop a set during the tournament, beating Mayar Sherif, Lucia Bronzetti and Hailey Baptiste quite comfortably. She will take on fellow top 10 player Emma Navarro for a spot in the last eight on Monday, July 7.
Andreeva, who has become a global sensation thanks to her exploits, hails from Russia. She was born in Krasnoyarsk but moved to Moscow for training and better prospects. While she retains her Russian citizenship, she spends most of her time in France these days. She has made the Elite Tennis Center in Cannes, France, her training base since 2022.
While Andreeva continues to impress at Wimbledon, one may have noticed that she doesn’t have a flag next to her name, unlike other competitors. Most players have their nationalities on display on the scorecard and other places. The teenager is one of the few exceptions due to her Russian origins. Athletes from Russia and Belarus aren’t allowed to compete under their nation’s flag in tennis according to the ITF’s mandate.
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The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the main governing body of tennis. When Russia started its attack on Ukraine in 2022, the ITF ruled that players from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete only if they agreed to play without formally representing their nation.
Additionally, Russia and Belarus have been barred from team events since then, leaving them ineligible to compete in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. The ruling is likely to remain in effect until the conflict is resolved completely.
"Players from Russia and Belarus will continue to be allowed to compete in international tennis events as individuals. However, they will not compete under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus until further notice," - the ITF statement on the players' ban.
Players from Russia and Belarus were also barred from competing at Wimbledon 2022. Andreeva was competing in the junior Grand Slams back then, and had reached the girls' singles final at the Australian Open that year and the French Open quarterfinals. The youngster, along with the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Aryna Sabalenka, among others, were out of action that year at the All England Club.
The tournament organizers felt that it was unfair for Russia and its allies to gain any benefits due to its unnecessary military actions. Thus, they came to a decision to impose a ban on Russian and Belarusian players.
"In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships," the statement read. "It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022.
The decision of Wimbledon organizers to ban Russian and Belarusian players was met with opposition from the ATP and WTA. This led to the tournament not having any ranking points for that edition. The ban was overturned a year later, with the tournament allowing them to compete as neutral athletes.
Mirra Andreeva and other Russian and Belarusian athletes haven't competed under their country's flag for over three years
Mirra Andreeva, along with other Russian and Belarusian athletes, haven't officially represented their respective countries for three years now. Wimbledon was the only big tournament to ice them out completely, though the ban, which was issued in 2022, lasted for only one edition.
The tournament organizers overturned the ban in 2023, subject to certain conditions. One of them was following the ITF's decision of not competing under their country's flag. Players were also barred from expressing their support for Russia's actions in Ukraine in any manner whatsoever.
"Our current intention is to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players subject to them competing as ‘neutral’ athletes and complying with appropriate conditions," the official update from Wimbledon read.
"These will prohibit expressions of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in various forms and prohibit entry by players receiving funding from the Russian and/or Belarusian states (including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states) in relation to their participation in The Championships."
The ongoing conflict has led to another issue on the court, with Ukrainian players refusing to acknowledge players from Russia and Belarus. Following the conclusion of the match, players from Ukraine haven't indulged in the traditional post-match handshake against their rivals from Russia and Belarus. This is set to continue as long as the conflict continues.
Andreeva was slated to cross paths with Elina Svitolina, an outspoken Ukrainian player at this year's Indian Wells Open. The teenager was asked whether outside circumstances affect her preparations in any way. While she admitted that it wasn't easy facing Ukrainian players, she opts to focus on her own game and routine.
"Yeah, of course it's not easy, but, you know, I have played maybe, I don't know, four or five matches against Ukrainian players. And me, I just try not to think about it. I just try to focus on my game, to do my routines, to prepare myself that it's not going to be easy," Mirra Andreeva said.
That outlook has worked out quite well for Andreeva, who's now on the cusp of reaching her first quarterfinal at Wimbledon. She already won a couple of WTA 1000 titles this year and also made the last eight at the French Open. She will aim to continue her good run of form against Emma Navarro during their upcoming showdown at SW19.
