Memorable tennis players, the ones who spend several years of their lives contesting the biggest tournaments in the sport, all have an origin story moment. Legions of fans across the planet spend several years of their lives watching these players. Some of them become icons of the game with an eternal and secure place in the history books. Others don’t win big trophies but create a richly dramatic narrative attached to their pursuit of an elusive greatness. They don’t all leave the same impression or forge the same levels of achievement, but they’re part of the story of tennis: the ones who make it, and the ones who don’t.
We don’t know if Mirra Andreeva will make it the way Iga Swiatek has, or the way Coco Gauff is beginning to do, but regardless of how the story ends, we remember the beginnings and the first big impressions these players make.
For Roger Federer, it was the win over Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001.
For Alexander Zverev, it was the Rome final against Novak Djokovic several years ago.
For Maria Sharapova, it was the Wimbledon final victory over Serena Williams.
For Venus Williams, it was the 1997 U.S. Open. On and on we could go with various players various fan bases fell in love with over time.
Mirra Andreeva had her big origin-story moment against Ons Jabeur at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
It’s true that Ons Jabeur did not play especially well. The scar tissue from her Wimbledon final loss to Marketa Vondrousova will be hard to deal with — and expunge — for the multi-time major finalist. Nevertheless, to see a 16-year-old look so comfortable on such a big stage against such a credentialed opponent is not ordinary. It offers a glimpse into the promise and potential of Andreeva, who will now try to strike the balance between managing expectations and striving for elite quality. Coco Gauff struggled — unavoidably, and one might add, necessarily — with this challenge the past few years before putting the pieces together at the 2023 U.S. Open. Andreeva’s journey now begins in earnest.
We are all going to look back on this moment when we discuss her career. How the story unfolds? That’s the great unknown.
How the story began? We have our answer. An exciting journey has just taken shape.
Tennis with an Accent 