"It was a bad decision": Mirra Andreeva discusses the mistake that cost her a spot in the WTA Finals

Narrowly eliminated from the race to the WTA Finals, Mirra Andreeva wanted to set the record straight. No, her absence from Tokyo was not related to a visa issue, but to a decision made with her team.

At 18 years old, Mirra Andreeva left her mark on the 2025 season by winning two consecutive WTA 1000 titles (Dubai and Indian Wells), while also breaking into the top 5 in July.

However, the second part of the season was more complicated for the young Russian, who had a series of early exits during the Asian tour (round of 16 in Beijing, second-round eliminations in Wuhan and Ningbo).

Consequently, Andreeva narrowly missed out on a first qualification for Riyadh, overtaken at the last moment by Elena Rybakina in Tokyo. Initially entered for the Japanese tournament, the Russian reportedly withdrew due to visa reasons.

She denied this rumor in an interview with Arab News:

"With my team, we had made the decision not to participate in the tournament. In the end, it was a bad decision. We are still learning. This is only my second full season on the WTA tour, so we will learn from this to gain more experience and not repeat this mistake."

Andreeva still made the trip to Saudi Arabia to compete in the doubles event, where she is partnered with her compatriot Diana Shnaider.