LONDON — Mirra Andreeva struggled to contain her emotions after her Wimbledon campaign ended in the second round Wednesday, with the reigning French Open champion fighting back tears during her post-match press conference following a three-set defeat to defending champion Barbora Krejcikova.
The fifth-seeded Russian saw her hopes of capturing consecutive Grand Slam titles come to an end after Krejcikova rallied to claim a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory on Centre Court in one of the tournament’s most compelling matches.
Although disappointed by the result, Andreeva acknowledged that Krejcikova deserved the victory while admitting she had failed to capitalize on key opportunities throughout the contest.
“I felt like it was obviously tough,” Andreeva told reporters. “She played well. I felt like I had some chances and opportunities but it didn’t go my way. So she’s the winner today.”
As she continued answering questions, the 19-year-old became visibly emotional and briefly paused while trying to compose herself. Reporters offered her the chance to stop the news conference, but Andreeva chose to continue despite struggling to hold back tears.
The Russian said she expects the disappointment to linger for several days before shifting her focus to the next phase of the season.
“It’s going to take some time,” she said. “Maybe a couple days. Then I’m going to be back to practice for hard courts.”
“I don’t know where the next tournaments are going to be. I still need to talk to my team to see where I’m going to play next.”
The defeat halted Andreeva’s bid to become the first woman since 2016 to follow a French Open title with a Wimbledon championship in the same season.
After lifting her maiden Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros last month, she arrived in London among the tournament favorites, but was unable to overcome the experience of Krejcikova, who successfully defended her title with an inspired performance.
Despite the early exit, Wimbledon has still produced memorable moments during Andreeva’s young career.
She reached the fourth round on her tournament debut in 2023 before suffering a first-round loss a year later. In 2025, she advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Belinda Bencic, making this year’s second-round defeat her earliest exit at the All England Club since 2024.
The loss ends an otherwise outstanding first half of the season for Andreeva, who established herself among the WTA Tour’s elite by winning her first major title and climbing into the world’s top five.
Her attention will now shift to the North American hard-court swing, where she and her team are expected to finalize a schedule in the coming days as preparations begin for the final Grand Slam of the season at the U.S. Open.
While Wednesday’s defeat was a painful setback, Andreeva’s emotional reaction also reflected the high expectations she now carries after becoming one of the sport’s brightest young stars and a Grand Slam champion before her 20th birthday.
