2 teenagers in the Top 100
When Mirra Andreeva entered Rod Laver Arena against Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open, she was the only remaining teenager to reach that round. Up to that point, Andreeva was the last player to beat Sabalenka in a Grand Slam - the quarter-finals of the 2024 French Open. After winning the WTA 1000 in Dubai recently, the 17-year-old tennis player entered the Top 10, before falling to 11th in the world earlier this week.
She is currently the second teenager in the WTA Tour's Top 100. The other person is Maya Joint, 18, Australian, ranked 81st. Another 17-year-old American tennis player, Iva Jovic, is also highly appreciated, but there is still a long way to go to the Top 100. Of course, Joint and Jovic are still a long way off Andreeva, as the Russian tennis player made his mark in 2024 at the Australian Open and defeated Ons Jabeur - the 6th seed as well as 3 Grand Slam finals.
However, this is not a personal story for Andreeva, but the problem is why are there too few teenagers in the Top 100 at the moment? This is the result of significant changes over the past 25 years. At the same time of the 2020 season, there were 6 teenage female tennis players in the Top 100, similar to 2015; in 2000, this number was 17, a ratio of nearly 1/5. From strengthening and changing playing style, to the WTA changing rules, this is the story of how women's tennis has gone from a sports of the equal deity to a difficult setting for anyone under the age of 20.
Previous idols
The WTA Tour has seen the presence of teenagers from the start. A year after its founding in 1973, Chris Evert won the French Open at the age of 19, opening an almost uninterrupted trend of young phenomena. Tracy Austin won the US Open in 1979 at the age of 16, followed by Steffi Graf, the French Open champion in 1987 at the age of 17 after making his professional debut at the age of 13 - against Austin.
reality Seles was just 16 when she won her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 1990, and has won eight major trophies by the time she was just over 18. Also at that French Open, Jennifer Capriati reached the semi-finals at the age of 14, followed closely by Martina Hingis, with 3 Grand Slams at the age of 16. Hingis was succeeded by the Williams sisters, who won their first major trophy at the age of 17 (serena) and just turned 20 (Venus). Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon 2004 at the age of 17 and has since won five teenage women's singles Grand Slams. The most recent was Coco Gauff, 19, when he won the US Open in 2023.
Of the 17 young tennis players in the Top 100 at this stage in 2000, 3 are in the Top 4. Hingis, then 19, reached the Australian Open final but was beaten by Lindsay Davenport, 23.
Current difficulties
Returning to reality, trying to explain a phenomenon at the center of his own, Andreeva believes that the changes are due to the evolution of tennis. I think tennis has changed a lot in the past 20 years. The pace was different and everyone played very strongly. I think it will take more time for young players. I feel that holding on to positions and getting points is getting more and more difficult for everyone.
Sabalenka is a perfect illustration for what Andreeva described. Her hitting ability is so formidable that only a few in the Top 100 can match it. But Andreeva could make it difficult for Sabalenka and other top players, who are built on intelligence and excellent prediction on the pitch, to compare with Hingis, one of her idols. Andreeva decided to turn professional after losing the painful final of the Australian Open Women's Singles Championship 2 years ago.
Belinda Bencic, who won the WTA 1000 title at the age of 17 a decade ago, also believes that his level has improved over the past 10 years. The players are really becoming more stable, she said, You have to prepare very well physically to be able to win consistently.
Iga Swiatek, who won his first Grand Slam at the age of 19 at the 2020 French Open, agreed. Its definitely better physical condition. I think we take care of ourselves and work hard in the gym compared to the previous generation. That is not my point of view, but what I heard on the tour from people who were here 10 years ago. But I think tennis in general is developing and you need to take care of more things.
Swiatek, 23, and Sabalenka, 26, won three of last year's four Grand Slams. Krejova, 29, won the remaining award. The most recent exception to this rule is the Gauff, with the advantage of speed. Although she reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2019, at the age of 15, it took her another 4 years to win her first major title, something that previous generation players could have done sooner. Gauff has played at a higher level than her age for most of her development.
Ola Malmqvist, head of women's tennis at the American Tennis Association during the Gauff boom, agreed that physical fitness and fitness have become more apparent on the tour, creating a big gap for teenage idols to overcome. Austin, who played his final Grand Slam at the age of 20 due to injury (before returning 11 years later for a short time), said: "fitness has gone beyond the schedule. Everyone has a coach, a physical therapist accompanying them. Every 5 years, there is more depth and more people from many countries.
WTA changes
The success of teenage female tennis players in the period from the 1970s to the 2000s has prompted calculations about the consequences of early explosive talents before they were extinguished. Capriati, who debuted at the age of 13 like Graf, took a two-year break due to mental exhaustion as a teenager. Andrea Jaeger - who reached two Grand Slam finals and was the world No. 2 at 16, retired at the age of 20, like Austin, due to a shoulder injury.
In 1995, the WTA Tour set a minimum limit of 14 for tennis players participating in WTA Tour events such as Andreeva, 17, who can participate in 16 tournaments per year; 12 tournaments at the age of 16 and 10 tournaments at the age of 15. Players aged 14 to 17 must undergo WTA testing of tournament schedules and recovery plans. Their support groups are required to complete online training courses on competition time management. Higher bonuses at tournaments and better sponsorship from federations help young tennis players today get more comfortable when they have to go out and start making money.
Limiting the number of times players participate in tournaments will limit the number of ranking points that young tennis players can earn in a year, which also increases the difficulty for them to enter the Top 100. Pam Shriver, who reached the US Open final in 1978 at the age of 16, said: "When I was 15, 16 I played 3 tournaments and entered the Top 50. Nowadays, with more players, depth, fitness and age rules are the main reasons for everything to change.
Older tennis players are more persistent
Not only that, the older players of both the ATP and the WTA today have maintained a high ranking on the rankings for a longer period of time. Graf retired at the age of 30 with 22 singles titles; Pete Sampras retired at the age of 31. Then there are the Williams sisters and the "Big Three" including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is still in the Top 10 at the age of 37, Serena won her last Grand Slam title at the age of 36.
More and more WTA Tour players are taking a break in their careers to have children before returning, with breakthroughs, such as Jessica Pegula (30) and Jasmine Paolini (29) both making their first major finals in 2024. Danielle Collins had one of the best seasons of her career in 2024, at the age of 30. That is why, for Andreeva or many other tennis players, if they do not succeed at a young age, taking time is the right path.
