At only 17 years old, Mirra Andreeva won the Indian Wells title, emulating legends such as Serena Williams and Martina Hingis. And her impressive run had several sports legends praising her, including her idol, NBA star LeBron James.
After the final, in which she defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Andreeva confessed she has been listening to “a lot of LeBron James interviews” to learn his mindset. “He said that it’s easy to be confident and play good when everything goes your way, but what makes you a champion is when you’re giving your best when you don’t feel great. So that’s what I tried to do today,” she told the press.
James responded to the shoutout in an Instagram story, published on Monday, March 17: “CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Happy to have helped but honestly YOU did THAT!! All your hard work, drive and dedication towards your craft! KEEP GOING! #striveforgreatness,” adding several emojis such as a trophy and a gold medal.
This wasn’t the first time that Andreeva addressed that she takes inspiration from James. After winning the title at the Dubai Open last week, she said that she watches videos from James, as well as her tennis idol Roger Federer.
“Well, when I want to motivate or inspire myself, I’m watching some of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and of course my idol since I was very, very young was Roger Federer,” Andreeva told the press. “Before the matches I’ve been watching highlights of him playing the final of the Australian Open in 2017 against Nadal,” she said.
Andreeava’s impressive 2025 season
Andreeva defeated Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling match in which she came back from a set down to claim her first WTA 1000 title (2-6, 6-4, 6-3). The Russian star is the third youngest woman to win Indian Wells after Serena Williams and Martina Hingis.
However, before Indian Wells, Andreeva, who is coached by legend Conchita Martinez, also had a great week in Dubai, beating Marketa Vondrousova, Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina on route to the trophy. She also broke into the Top 6 for the first time in her career.