Serena Williams' ex-coach shockingly snubs Gauff, Sabalenka & Swiatek to support a Russian player in 2026

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci recently touched on Mirra Andreeva's chances of success in the upcoming 2026 tennis season, the start of which is just days away. According to Macci, Andreeva will be the 'player to watch' on the WTA Tour next year, and not the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, the top three women's singles tennis players in the world right now.

On Monday, December 22, Macci, who coached both Venus and Serena Williams during their childhood years, took to X (formerly Twitter) and delivered his emphatic verdict on how 2026 is going to turn out for the 18-year-old Russian who ended the 2025 season as the World No. 9. The iconic 71-year-old coach who worked with the likes of Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova as well, wrote:

"The player to watch in 2026 is Andreeva."

He went on to opine that Mirra Andreeva has the potential in her to become a Grand Slam champion in the future. Based on Macci's prediction, Andreeva is likely to display more maturity in the 2026 season and challenge her more experienced WTA Tour rivals.

"She has Grand Slam written all over her and my pick to catch fire have more mature desire go higher make others perspire and be one or two at the year end wire," Macci added.

The first half of the 2025 tennis season saw Andreeva in red-hot form. The Russian teenager clinched the women's singles title at the Dubai Tennis Championships, becoming the youngest WTA 1000 champion in the process. She followed it up with another WTA 1000 title success at Indian Wells. These results led to Andreeva establishing herself as a WTA singles top 10 player.

She also reached the quarterfinals at the Wimbledon Championships and became the World No. 5. However, her form dipped significantly following her promising showing at SW19, costing her a place at the year-end WTA Finals in Riyadh.

"Mirra Andreeva needs to learn to cope with her emotions and feelings" - Russian former WTA pro

Mirra Andreeva at the 2025 Wuhan Open (Source: Getty)

Despite Mirra Andreeva's undeniable on-court abilities, she often fails to keep her emotions in check when things aren't going in her favor. According to Nadia Petrova, a Russian former World No. 3, this simply boils down to Andreeva's tender age. In a recent interview with Championat, Petrova said:

"I think it's age-related. It's a transitional stage in her professional career, you could say. She needs to get through this. She needs to learn to cope with her emotions and feelings."

The WTA 500 Adelaide International is likely to mark Andreeva's first competitive tournament in the upcoming 2026 tennis season.

Edited by Sudipto Pati