Why is there no national flag alongside World No 8 Mirra Andreeva’s name at French Open 2026? Exploring her nationality ahead of Roland Garros final

Mirra Andreeva is just one win away from claiming her first Grand Slam title. She reached the final of the French Open 2026. The 19-year-old delivered an impressive performance in the semifinal on Thursday, defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 in straight sets. Her victory secured a place in an unexpected championship match against Poland’s Maja Chwalinska. The young Russian has become one of the biggest stories of the tournament as she continues her remarkable run in Paris.Andreeva controlled the semifinal from the opening games. She raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set and never allowed Kostyuk to settle into the match. Although the Ukrainian tried to fight back during the second set, Andreeva remained calm under pressure and closed out the contest comfortably. After the match, the teenager admitted that reaching a Grand Slam final once felt like a distant dream. She said she never imagined she would compete for major titles at such a young age. She described the achievement as something she had always hoped for.Mirra Andreeva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was born in Krasnoyarsk, a city in Siberia, and later moved to Moscow with her family to pursue her tennis development. She is the younger sister of Erika Andreeva, who has also competed successfully on the WTA Tour. In 2022, both sisters relocated to the Elite Tennis Center in Cannes, France, where they continued their training.Many tennis fans have noticed that no Russian flag appears next to Andreeva’s name during tournaments. This is because Russian and Belarusian players currently compete as neutral athletes in international tennis events. The policy was introduced after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Under the rules established by tennis governing bodies, including the WTA Tour and the ITF, players from Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete individually but cannot represent their countries. As a result, national flags and symbols are not displayed alongside their names on tournament scoreboards or official graphics. In many events, the flag space is replaced with a neutral symbol or left blank.The same regulations apply to all Russian and Belarusian players competing in Grand Slam tournaments. National anthems are also not played during their matches. Therefore, while Andreeva proudly competes at the highest level of tennis, she does so under neutral status rather than representing Russia officially.