Russian tennis player, 17, has no bank account for $3.8M prize

Mirra Andreeva at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the UAE in February 2025. Photo by Reuters

Andreeva says her father has been managing all of her earnings since she turned professional two years ago. Despite earning $3.8 million in prize money so far, Andreeva will have to wait until she turns 18 to have control of her finances.

According to Forbes, she also earns millions from sponsorships each year.

"All questions to my dad," Andreeva told the press after her victory on March 2. "It all goes on his credit card because I don’t have my own yet. I cannot have my own bank account because I’m not 18. I’m hoping that he will leave me some to spend somewhere, to buy chips and Coke... Honestly, I don’t even know what I want."

Known for her maturity on and off the court, Andreeva is often compared to tennis legends like Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova, both of whom achieved remarkable success as teenagers. Andreeva reached the semifinals of Roland Garros at 16 and has won two titles after three WTA Tour finals. Last summer, she also secured a silver medal in women’s doubles at the Paris Olympics.

With the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships win, she became the youngest player ever to claim the WTA 1000 title, CNN reported.

Beyond her athletic talent and beauty, Andreeva has captured hearts with her personality. She exudes confidence but still maintains the innocence of a teenage girl. According to AS, Andreeva wrote down match tactics in a notebook during the Dubai Championships and likened that to a schoolgirl who is doing her homework right at the tennis court.

"Now I think about it and I feel like I have everything I ever wanted. I won the tournament. I won it. I've already reached my goal that I've set for myself by the end of the year," Andreeva said after climbing to world number nine this week.

With 3,720 points, she is less than 1,000 away from the top five.

While often compared to Sharapova, Andreeva has taken a different approach, choosing Spanish coach Conchita Martínez instead of going to the U.S. She also works with a psychologist to help channel her emotions into positive energy during competition.

Andreeva revealed that she was watching highlights from Roger Federer's 2017 Australian Open final victory over Rafael Nadal before her matches in Dubai and got inspired from it, AFP reported.

"I was watching some highlights. I was like, 'D..mn, how can he play like this? This is something extraordinary," she said.