“I admire Djokovic for his aura” : Mirra Andreeva reveals why she identified herself more with the Serbian than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Mirra Andreeva is all set to defend her title at the WTA Dubai Championships this week. In the first round, she received a bye from Daria Kasatkina, and is all set to face Jaqueline Cristian in the second round clash.

Recently, Mirra Andreeva revealed that she identified herself more with Novak Djokovic’s style of tennis during her early playing days. The Russian admires the Serb’s personality, and stated that he was the one he looked up to during the Big Three Era involving the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

The Russian stated that she felt she did not have the fighting spirit of Rafael Nadal or as was gracious as someone like Roger Federer. However, she admired Novak Djokovic for his sense of discipline, and overcoming difficulties to find a solution.

“I admire Djokovic for his aura, his ability to overcome difficulties, his discipline, and his adaptability to any situation. Even during the [Rafael] Nadal and [Roger] Federer era, I identified more with Djokovic. Admittedly, I didn’t feel as elegant as Roger, nor as competitive as Rafa, but I had a strong sense of discipline, the ability to find solutions, and to rise to every challenge,” said Andreeva.

Novak Djokovic is arguably the greatest tennis player of all-time, having won 24 Grand Slam titles, followed by Rafael Nadal with 22 Majors, and Roger Federer with 20 Major titles. The Serbian is still fighting for a historic 25th Grand Slam title, as he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the finals of the 2026 Australian Open in four sets. Novak Djokovic last won a Grand Slam title back at the 2023 US Open, when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the finals. The Serbian is expected to continue playing for the next couple of seasons, as he has stated that he intends to defend his Olympic gold medal at the 2028 LA Olympics.