Another thrilling WTA Tour season has been and gone, with the battle between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek stealing the headlines.
Sabalenka overtook Swiatek as number one in October, with the Pole having occupied top spot for 50 weeks.
The Belarusian won the Australian Open and US Open, with Swiatek triumphing at the French Open as Barbora Krejcikova won Wimbledon.
Coco Gauff meanwhile recovered from her struggles to win the WTA Finals, with the American now third in the rankings.
It is, however, another young star in Mirra Andreeva that has just caught the eye of major champion Andy Roddick.
The WTA stat Andy thinks is ‘shocking for women’s tennis’
The 17-year-old has risen to 16th place on the WTA Tour, but her progression has caused concern for Roddick.
“Her ability, her variety, her ability to switch directions,” he said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast.
“Even hiring Conchita Martinez as a coach and thinking where do I source wisdom. Those are very intelligent progressions on and off the court in 2024.
“What does she do in 2025? More of it. Let the progression take hold. It is simultaneously exciting and also the pragmatist in me is going, do the same thing for the next three months.
“And after that the next three months. It might not go perfectly but I think this is someone who is going to be holding a big trophy at some point.”
Jon Wertheim then commented: “Do you want to know a crazy stat? She is the only teenager in the top 100 I believe.”
Roddick responded: “That is shocking for women’s tennis too,” with Wertheim continuing: “When Monica Seles won eight majors as a teenager, Steffi [Graf] won the golden slam as a teenager. She is 17 so that means that she has nine more majors left before she turns 20.
“One thing that impresses me here is that we see young players – it’s LeBron [James], it’s Rafa [Nadal], it’s Jennifer Capriati and there’s physical maturity.
“I’m not sure that’s the case here, it’s more emotional maturity. She plays a really tactical, strategic game.”
What did ‘incredible’ Mirra Andreeva achieve in 2024?
Andreeva looks set for big things in 2025, with the 17-year-old having enjoyed a superb year on the court.
Daria Kasatkina called Andreeva ‘incredible’ after beating her in the Ningbo Open final, with the latter having picked up several impressive wins.
The Russian teenager beat Czech duo Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Muchova before falling to Kasatkina, who is now ranked ninth in the world.
Shortly before that, Andreeva played her sister Erika at the Wuhan Open, where the latter emerged victorious.
But with one title won in Romania and a 34/16 win/loss record, Andreeva finished 2024 in a career-high ranking of 16th.
| Rank | Player | Age | Tournaments played | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 26 | 21 | 9416 |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek | 23 | 18 | 8295 |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | 20 | 22 | 6530 |
| 4 | Jasmine Paolini | 28 | 20 | 5344 |
| 5 | Qinwen Zheng | 22 | 21 | 5340 |
| 6 | Elena Rybakina | 25 | 20 | 5171 |
| 7 | Jessica Pegula | 30 | 19 | 4705 |
| 8 | Emma Navarro | 23 | 25 | 3589 |
| 9 | Daria Kasatkina | 27 | 24 | 3368 |
| 10 | Barbora Krejcikova | 29 | 17 | 3214 |
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Former professional tennis player Andy Roddick recently made headlines after expressing his surprise at a WTA stat that he found to be “shocking for women’s tennis.”
During a recent interview, Roddick was asked about his thoughts on the current state of women’s tennis and the level of competition among female players. When presented with a statistic detailing the number of Grand Slam titles won by women players over the past decade, Roddick was taken aback.
“I was genuinely shocked when I heard that stat,” Roddick said. “To think that women players have won nearly half of the Grand Slam titles in the past ten years is truly remarkable. It speaks volumes about the talent and dedication of the female athletes competing in the sport.”
Roddick went on to praise the achievements of players such as Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Ashleigh Barty, highlighting their impact on the game and their ability to inspire the next generation of female tennis players.
As a former top-ranked player himself, Roddick’s perspective on women’s tennis carries weight within the tennis community. His acknowledgment of the success and skill of women players serves as a reminder of the progress and achievements made in the sport, and the continued growth and evolution of women’s tennis.
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Andy Roddick, WTA, women’s tennis, shocking stat, tennis news, professional tennis player, gender equality, sports news
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