Russian tennis chief: 'Nothing terrible' about Andreeva’s exit at 2026 Wimbledon

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Russia’s top female racquet Mirra Andreeva did not quite have enough experience to deliver a strong performance at this year’s Wimbledon, President of the Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpishchev told TASS.

Andreeva, who is playing at international tournaments under a neutral status, earlier failed to clear the second round of the Grand Slam tournament in London, losing 6-4, 5-7, 4-6 to Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. The Czech player is currently 38th in the WTA Rankings and the 2024 Wimbledon champion.

"Nothing terrible has happened. Andreeva is young and it's a matter of experience. In addition, Krejcikova has a decent serve and the serve is the most important playing on grass courts," Tarpishchev said.

Andreeva, 19, won the French Open last month and is a five-time WTA title holder overall. She is currently 5th in the WTA Rankings. In 2023, the WTA named Andreeva rookie of the year. At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, she won a silver medal in women’s doubles paired with Diana Shnaider.

This year’s Wimbledon takes place between June 29 and July 12 and offers a total of 74.5 million Euros [over $75 million] in prize money. Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek of Poland are the reigning Wimbledon champions in men’s and women’s singles, respectively.

Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC's recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) ruled on March 1, 2022 to suspend the membership of the Russian and Belarusian national tennis federations while also canceling all previously scheduled tennis tournaments in the two countries.

On March 14, 2022, the ITF also confirmed its prohibition on the Russian and Belarusian national tennis teams from taking part in the 2022 Davis Cup and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup.