Friday, March 14, 2025

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/I. Swiatek

7-6, 1-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Mirra, congratulations. How were you able to bring the fight today against Iga?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yes, it was a really tough match, tough conditions. I tried to really hang in there. It was not easy, but I'm just super happy with the win today, and I can't wait to play finals on Sunday.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Which was a bigger deal, beating her in Dubai or beating her here?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Both. Can I choose both? Of course it's nice to beat a top player, as I said before, so, you know, I'm just gonna take it. It's nice. I feel great.

So I will choose both.

Q. Two things. The first is late in the first set when you tried to serve it out, and then she won a few games in a row. Then you went into the tiebreaker and had a huge response in the tiebreaker. Then also going into the third set after having a rough time of it in the second set. What happened in those two moments in order to sort of get you to be where you were?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, after I couldn't serve for the set in the first set, I think she led 6-5, so I came back at 6-All, and I just felt like, I don't know why I felt so much confidence, and I felt like I'm gonna go and play the tiebreak like it's the last tiebreak of my life.

So I just went for all my shots. My serve was great, and, you know, just felt super comfortable and super confident during the tiebreak. I kind of played on a roll.

But then the second set, it was a bit weird (smiling), but I can say that I really tried to do something, but I just felt like she literally overplayed me, because she was playing pretty deep with good height over the net. It was really hard to do something with these shots.

So I just tried to hang in there and do something. And after, I went on a toilet break. I started to think what can I change? And after, I just decided to kind of still play the same but maybe go for my shots more, trying to play a little bit more aggressive, and in the end, you know, I got the win, so I feel great.

I feel also that I was dealing with the nerves and the pressure pretty good, so I just feel proud of myself.

Q. After the second set, you also came back with a new warmer shirt, it looked like. Was the cold bothering you earlier in the match? How aware of it were you?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yes, it was a bit tough, because the first set, we had sunny weather. Okay, it was windy, but we had sun. Then in the second set I felt like I start to feel a little cold.

Then after I lost the second set, I just decided to go and change into a long sleeve, because I felt like it's going to be more comfortable to play like this. It's always better to stay warm. So I just decided to, yeah, change into something a bit more warm.

I feel like, yeah, I felt much better playing with a long sleeve. Maybe I should have done that a bit earlier, but it's fine.

Q. Obviously you're still a very young person, and also obviously our sport has this incredible history with teenagers. Iga, Serena, Maria Sharapova all won as teens. Before that, there was an era in tennis where players like Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis and Monica Seles and Capriati really were preeminent, dominated. Are you aware of that era? Can you talk about the teenagers in our game? What are your thoughts?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yes, of course I know that Monica Seles and Martina Hingis, they won a lot of tournaments and a lot of titles while they were still teenagers. Of course I know that they have been playing great, and, you know, I try to kind of, I don't know, be at the same level, but tennis has changed a lot, and now I cannot imagine me winning eight slams at 17 years old. It's impossible.

Yeah, of course I know what's been going on, and about Maria and Serena. I have watched them play a lot, so I also know that they won a lot of titles and a lot of tournaments while being very young.

So I don't know. I try to not really think about it, because after, I can start to overthink, I can start to compare myself, and then I don't think that it's going to lead me to any good.

I know what they have done. Okay, good for them. But I try not to think about them and try to focus on what to do with my career.

Q. So you face Sabalenka now in the final. You have faced her twice already this year. What do you expect out of that match, having already played her twice this year?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, the matches that we played this year didn't really go my way. Yeah, I can say she almost killed me, especially in Melbourne.

Yeah, I'm gonna try to take a revenge, because I still have nothing to lose, and I feel like the match is going to be probably entertaining. There is going to be a lot of, I think, a lot of winners, a lot of great points.

Now it's going to be Conchita's job to prepare me well for this match, so I hope she is gonna do it. But, yeah, I will just go out there as for every other match and try to play my best and to fight for every point, and then we're gonna see who's gonna win.

Q. Is Aryna one of the players you know better personally, both of you being Russian speakers? Have you gotten to know her off court?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I got to know her a little bit better when we played the exhibition and we were in one team. I cannot say that, you know, we're great friends, but if I see her, of course we can talk about something, but not like her and Paula, for example.

Yeah, I got to know her a little better as a person, because before, I had no idea what kind of person she is.

Now I know her a little bit better, and yeah, we don't spend a lot of time together, but I just know her for a little bit now.

Q. Two questions about your game. It feels like when you're playing a rally, you're really constructing a point. How far ahead do you think? Because with forehand slice, forehand slice, and then the drive, it seems very deliberate. Secondly, you also hit a 202-kilometer-per-hour serve today. Is that normal or was the machine wrong? What was that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: So the first question, I cannot say that I think a lot. I decide, so if the ball is coming at me, I decide what to do with it. It's not like I have a plan, okay, I'm going to play two cross and then go down the line. If she's going to play cross, then I'm going to go down the line.

No. When the ball is coming to me, I decide what to do with it. If I feel comfortable doing a dropshot, I do a dropshot. If I feel comfortable playing down the line, I play down the line.

I don't really think about what I'm going to do after I hit the shot, but I try to decide fast, and yeah, and to see what I'm gonna do with the ball at the same time.

The second question, I had no idea that my serve was this fast. I saw on the screen that, I think it was during the tiebreak, I looked at the screen, it was 126 miles? So I have no idea what are miles. So I felt like, yeah, probably it's fast.

You said 200?

Q. 202.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Wow. Okay. This is the fastest serve I have hit so far. Of course it's nice. I think I have been improving a lot with my serves, so just nice to see a big number. I'm going to talk to Conchita about it, because it's partly her job.

Yeah, it's nice to hear the big number.