Snoop Dogg’s gospel: Why 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva always thanks herself at the Slams

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva stormed into her second French Open semifinal on Tuesday, dismantling Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 under a closed Court Philippe-Chatrier roof. The 19-year-old, seeded eighth, needed just 56 minutes to secure a place in the final four, cementing her position as the frontrunner for a maiden Grand Slam title.

With this victory, Andreeva secured her 19th match win at Roland Garros. The milestone put her name in the record books and set a new benchmark for the most women’s singles wins at the French Open by a teenager in the 21st century.

Andreeva previously reached the semifinals in Paris in 2024 as a 17-year-old.

THE SNOOP DOGG MANTRA

In addition to her record-breaking tennis, Andreeva charmed the Paris crowd by explaining her viral post-match tradition of thanking herself alongside her team and fans during the trophy presentation. The teenager revealed the ritual was lifted straight from US rap icon Snoop Dogg’s famous Hollywood Walk of Fame speech.

“The first time I said it in a speech, I saw Snoop Dogg say it when he was accepting the award,” Andreeva said during an interview in court.

“So the first time I kind of stole it just for fun. But then I kind of realized that it’s actually true. We also have to thank ourselves for the work that we do on the court, for how much we sacrifice, for how much we practice and how much we work.”

Mirra Andreeva on why she thanks herself in her speeches

“I first saw Snoop Dogg say it the first time I stole it a few times just for fun, but then I realized it’s actually true. We have to thank ourselves for the work we do.” pic.twitter.com/Cv5eXGNTd1— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 2, 2026

TACTICAL DOMINANCE

The quarter-final itself was a demonstration of the young Russian’s relentless precision. Andreeva breezed through the opening set in just 24 minutes, leaving the 36-year-old Cirstea, playing her final season on tour, completely searching for a rhythm. Andreeva consistently punished weak serves and converted six break points throughout the match.

Cirstea offered temporary resistance in the second set, recovering from an early break to level at 3-3. However, Andreeva reasserted her dominance as she broke the Romanian twice more to seal the match.

When asked if her exceptional court vision was a learned trait, Andreeva indicated that it was largely instinctive.

“From an early age I felt like I was reading a play,” she noted. “I never knew it was anything special.

Andreeva dominated the power game, hitting her first serve at will, while Cirstea struggled with her second serve, winning less than 20 percent of her points.

Andreeva will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the semi-finals. Marta beat compatriot Elina Svitolina in three sets in Tuesday’s second women’s singles quarterfinal.

– The end

Published on:

02 Jun 2026 18:11 IST