Rafael Nadal's tennis spirit lives on in teenager Mirra Andreeva's career goals plan

Mirra Andreeva recently touched on an inspiring message from Rafael Nadal as she laid bare her bold intent of establishing herself as a memorable, Grand Slam-winning player. Andreeva, still only 18, has already cracked the WTA singles top 10. The Russian teenage prodigy enjoyed considerable success in the 2025 tennis season, finishing the year as the World No. 9.

Ahead of the upcoming 2026 season, Andreeva participated at the 2025 MGM Macau Tennis Masters, a two-day exhibition tournament that took place spanning Saturday, December 27 and Sunday, December 28. The Russian missed the first day of the event due to an illness. However, she took to the court on the second day, producing a win over Alexandra Eala.

Following her victory against the 20-year-old Filipino, Mirra Andreeva expressed her desire to win a few Major titles, saying:

"Well of course like every other player I want to win a couple of Grand Slams. That would be great for me."

Subsequently, the 2025 Dubai and Indian Wells champion spoke up about wanting to be remembered for being an entertaining and humble tennis player. Here, she brought up Rafael Nadal's inspiring 'humility is the recognition of your limitations' message, adding:

"Honestly I just want to stay me and be I would say a player that everyone would remember for being kind of curious on court, do whatever she wants on the court, be very interesting to watch and always stay humble like Rafa said. So I just want to be a player to remember on the tour and I hope that I can achieve that."

"I just try sometimes to copy Rafael Nadal" - Mirra Andreeva in 2023

Mirra Andreeva at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships (Source: Getty)

Following her third-round win at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Mirra Andreeva explained how she made Rafael Nadal her role model because of the exemplary way the former No. 1 and 22-time Major champion carried himself on the court. Citing the now-retired Spaniard's stunning return to the sport in 2022 following an injury-plagued period, Andreeva told reporters at a press conference:

"I was really impressed because after an injury, he (Nadal) came back, he won the Australian Open, he won the French Open. After that, I can say that now mental-wise I just try sometimes to copy him."

Rafael Nadal's tennis career came to an end at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. He later received a fitting tribute at the 2025 French Open, where his once-fiercest rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were present.

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Edited by Sudipto Pati