The Mirra Andreeva Interview
Plus: Who’s in, who’s not (yet) for US Open mixed doubles
Context-free soundbite: “The hardest thing in my life is having this in our possession before they have actually released it—and not telling anyone.”
Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva joined the show this week with the same honesty and humor that have endeared her to millions of fans—including Andy—on her rise to the world’s Top 5.
Andreeva discussed the pressure of playing her first Slam final as an overwhelming favorite, the part of her game she is working on, losing her cool on court and Andy’s confession that “just ruined everything” for her.
Plus: the future of the 12-day Masters 1000s and the just-announced US Open mixed doubles entry list.
There’s more Served coming your way this week:
Love All on Wednesday
Q&Andy with Leylah Fernandez on Thursday
5 Setter on Friday
The stories that matter most this week
Draper Withdraws from D.C.
Jack Draper took a wild card into the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., this week only to withdraw with the same arm injury that has kept him sidelined on and off for a year.
Draper practiced on site with coach Andy Murray before announcing the decision yesterday. The same thing happened at Wimbledon—he felt strong in practice, but the arm pain flared up and led to a late withdrawal.
The 24-year-old wrote on Instagram: “These last months have felt like nothing but adversity and setbacks. Most days I’ve spent in doubt, yet hopeful that I can keep taking positive steps forward and finding ways to progress. On off days, I reflect, and only grateful for the struggle and what it’s teaching me. Finding acceptance and being patient with the process has been my biggest challenge, but I know I’m getting closer to where I want to be!! Very lucky to have such amazing people to help guide me through this storm, and so with that… we keep persevering. Thank you for all the support and love ♥️”
Draper has played only 14 matches this year, and his ranking is down to No. 147 in the world. He would need a wild card to enter the Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open next month without going through qualifying.
His next scheduled tournament is a Challenger—the Indiana Hardcourt Championships in Indianapolis, August 10 to 16, to be played on a high school’s courts. Nishesh Basavareddy and Cristian Garin are also on the entry list.
Shelton’s Silver Lining
Like Jack Draper, Ben Shelton had a heartbreaking Wimbledon, losing in the first round to world No. 140 Otto Virtanen after holding match points. The upside, though, was returning to the U.S. earlier than planned and acclimating to the punishing heat of the summer hard-court swing.
🎤 Ben Shelton
“Fitness is a big part of this part of the season just because of how hot it is and how brutal the conditions can be. So it was nice to get a head start on that. I guess that was kind of the positive that I took away from losing in the first round in a tournament that I usually make deep runs and play well at, but that’s tennis.”
Shelton has won three titles this season, and he’s the only ATP player besides Jannik Sinner with trophies on three surfaces this season. But after making the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, he had just two wins at the Masters 1000 and Slam levels
The American will play Martin Damm, Jr. in his first-round match at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., this afternoon.
Teenager Tagger Wins First WTA Title
The youngest player in the WTA Top 100, Lilli Tagger, won her first WTA title last week at the Prague Open. The 18-year-old from Austria is the second teenager to win a WTA trophy this year, after Mirra Andreeva.
Tagger has been tagged as one of the brightest prospects on the WTA in the last year or so. Her one-handed backhand has caught a lot of attention, and she won the Roland Garros girls’ title in 2025. Her coach is 2010 Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone.
At the WTA 250 clay-court event (just the 10th of her career), Tagger beat Diana Snigur 7-6, 6-2 in the final after taking out two-time Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova in a third-set tiebreak in the quarterfinal.
The title puts Tagger into the Top 50, up from No. 519 a year ago.
10
First-time title winners on the ATP Tour this year
During the European clay-court swing after Wimbledon, three players won their maiden titles, bringing the year’s total to 10. First, 21-year-old Daniel Merida won in Umag, then 29-year-old Quentin Halys won Kitzbuhel, and 22-year-old Luca Van Assche won Estoril.
🎤 Daniel Merida
“Two of the best guys in the world [Alcaraz and Sinner won here previously], so it’s amazing to be in this group of players.”
🎤 Quentin Halys
“It’s been three years [since my last Challenger title] and I’ve lost some finals. I knew before this tournament I was playing great, but it’s a huge difference between, let’s say, making the quarterfinals or winning. Hopefully it’s going to give me a lot of confidence.”
🎤 Luca Van Assche
“It was an incredible week for me. It started on Monday and I played a three-hour, 30-minute match. It was very difficult and exhausting, so I am very proud to be the winner this week.”
Quick Hits
Alex de Minaur called his and Katie Boulter’s idyllic wedding ceremony in Tuscany “like our own little movie.” Demon’s a romantic.
Venus Williams will partner with Diana Shnaider for doubles in Washington, D.C., instead of Alexandra Eala, as initially planned. Here’s what happened. (Tennis World)
Welcome back, Lorenzo Musetti ⬇️
Tournaments in Progress
ATP 500/WTA 500 DC Open
Washington, D.C.
Hard court
Ben Shelton, Jessica Pegula, Alex de Minaur, Elina Svitolina, Taylor Fritz, Naomi Osaka
ATP 250 Mifel Tennis Open
Los Cabos, Mexico
Hard court
Jiri Lehecka, Luciano Darderi, Francisco Cerundolo, Moise Kouame
WTA 250 Memphis Classic
Memphis, Tennessee
Hard court
Ekaterina Alexandrova, McCartney Kessler, Viktorija Golubic, Zeynep Sonmez
PADEL. The padel wave hit a new market this week with the first pro tournament in South Africa. Arturo Coello and Augustín Tapia are gunning for their sixth consecutive title.
PICKLEBALL. Major League Pickleball’s team trade deadline on June 20 shook up the summer season’s home stretch. Forbes analyzed the action as all the teams try to chase down the leader, the St. Louis Shock.
SQUASH. At the World Junior Squash Championships last week, Egypt’s dominance got both a boost and a setback. Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria became the first male player to three-peat as world champion, while Anahat Singh became the first Indian player to win, ending Egypt’s 15-year run of female champions.
RACQUETBALL. It was déjà vu at the Outdoor Nationals two weeks ago when Kane Waselenchuk won his third in a row with doubles partner Chris McDonald. Full results.
BADMINTON. At the China Open last week, the host country took home the doubles and mixed crowns, but Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei and Akane Yamaguchi of Japan prevented the sweep by winning the singles titles.
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"Diana Snigur": should be Daria.