New York, August 29: Grand Slam champion and Olympic silver medalist Mira Andreeva has expressed that her older sister Erika has always been her role model.
During the US Open Media Day, the 19-year-old Mira shared how growing up with Erika has influenced her development as a tennis player and her life off the court.
According to Mira, as reported by the WTA, “I think I benefited a lot because I’m younger. In terms of tennis, I haven’t had to play as many tournaments as she did, which perhaps saved me some time. She always helped me with school and gave me a lot of advice. I always copied her because she was my role model, and she still is.”
Despite both sisters pursuing similar paths in professional tennis, they have managed to keep competition from affecting their relationship.
Mira stated, “We were never really competitors. Our parents always told us that we are sisters, so we are the closest people in life, and we should always support each other. We didn’t practice together much because it would create tension. Not between each other and our relationship, but I don’t know. I would get angry, and she would feel sad that I was upset, then I would feel bad that she was sad.”
Mira has emerged as one of the prominent names of her generation, while Erika has also carved out a successful career. The older Andreeva reached a career-high ranking of World No. 65 in October 2024 and has won five ITF singles titles. Her most recent title came in May at the W75 tournament in Zagreb. After a long break following Wimbledon 2025, Erika has made significant progress in the rankings, climbing nearly 150 spots as she approaches a return to the top 200.
Before establishing herself on the professional circuit, Erika experienced the pressure of competing among the sport’s top juniors. She reached the girls’ final at the French Open in 2021, where she lost to Linda Noskova.
Erika’s journey at the US Open ended in the early rounds. However, this week, the sisters’ US Open campaigns have taken different turns. While Erika’s run concluded early, Mira is now focused on her singles campaign at the US Open.
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