At just 18 years old, Russian tennis prodigy Mirra Andreeva faced a crucible of pressure at the 2025 French Open, where her quarterfinal clash with French wildcard Loïs Boisson ended in a stunning 7-6(8), 6-3 upset. The match, played on the electric Court Philippe-Chatrier, saw Andreeva, the No. 6 seed, unravel under the weight of a partisan crowd, leading to a fiery outburst where she smashed a ball into the stands, earning a code violation and a chorus of boos. Yet, in a poised post-match press conference, Andreeva expressed no lingering resentment toward the Roland Garros faithful, while candidly admitting the emotional toll of the moment. “It’s normal that they would support a French player, so I knew that it’s going to be like this,” she said, reflecting on the hostile atmosphere. “I think that in the first set, I managed it pretty well. I didn’t really pay attention to that, but obviously, with nerves and with pressure, it became a little harder.”
Andreeva’s journey to the quarterfinals was a testament to her burgeoning talent. She stormed through her first four rounds without dropping a set, defeating Cristina Bucșa, Ashlyn Krueger, No. 32 seed Yulia Putintseva, and No. 17 seed Daria Kasatkina, a close friend and mentor. Her victory over Kasatkina, whom she playfully called “torture” to face due to their intense rivalry, marked her as a serious contender. “I don’t know what changed, but today was not that hard to kind of change my mindset and step on court and be opponents,” Andreeva said after that match, highlighting her growing maturity. Her 2025 season, already glittering with WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells—where she bested world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka—had positioned her as a favorite to go deep in Paris, where she reached the semifinals in 2024.
Against Boisson, ranked No. 361, Andreeva seized an early 3-0 lead in the second set after a grueling first-set tiebreak loss. But the Frenchwoman, fueled by a roaring home crowd, clawed back, winning three straight games. Frustration boiled over when Andreeva’s error left her trailing 30-0 in the seventh game. In a moment of raw emotion, she hammered a ball into the stands, prompting jeers and a warning from the umpire. “Today was one of those days when it’s just a bit harder to deal with everything that’s going on in the court,” she confessed, acknowledging how the crowd’s energy amplified her nerves. Earlier, she had clashed with the umpire over a challenged line call, insisting her shot was in, only for Hawk-Eye to prove otherwise. Her visible distress culminated in a heated exchange with her player’s box, where she gestured for her mother, Raisa, to leave, later explaining, “I was looking at them, if I did some mistakes or some wrong decisions, to look at her to see what she would say.”
Despite the meltdown, Andreeva’s post-match reflection was strikingly mature. She praised Boisson’s performance, noting, “I know that she was like 150, but then she had an injury, so I just knew that, you know, rankings are rankings.” Boisson, the first Frenchwoman to reach the Roland Garros semifinals since Marion Bartoli in 2011, capitalized on her wildcard entry, having stunned No. 3 Jessica Pegula earlier. Andreeva’s graciousness extended to her outlook on the loss: “I think that I can learn from this.” Her ability to channel pressure, inspired by LeBron James’s mantra of mental toughness, has been key to her rise to world No. 6. “He said that that’s what makes us champions, so I kind of tried to do the same,” she said earlier this season.
The incident wasn’t Andreeva’s first brush with emotional volatility at Roland Garros. In 2023, she swatted a ball into the crowd during a loss to Coco Gauff, narrowly avoiding harsher penalties. Under the guidance of coach Conchita Martínez, she has worked to temper her fiery streak, but the charged atmosphere of facing a local hero proved overwhelming. “For me fun is one of the most important things,” she said in Dubai. “When I’m not over serious on the court, is when I play some of my best tennis.” Her doubles campaign with Diana Shnaider, where they reached the semifinals, offered a lighter outlet amid the singles drama.
As Andreeva shifts focus to the grass season, her fans see a star undeterred. Her 2024 Olympic doubles silver and 21-2 clay record in 2025 signal a bright future. While the French crowd’s boos stung, Andreeva’s resilience and humor—evident in her viral self-thanking speeches—suggest she’ll rebound stronger, ready to chase her maiden Grand Slam title.
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