"They said that we will gnaw this court with our teeth"

Young Russian tennis stars have won the WTA 1000 doubles tournament for the first time in their careers, winning the title in Miami. In the final, which was interrupted for six hours due to rain, our girls defeated Cristina Buksha (Spain) and Mia Kato (Japan). In an interview with Izvestia and Sport-Express, the champions talked about how the final turned out for them, how they plan to celebrate their victory, and expressed confidence that they have enough strength for both singles and doubles.

Were we ready to play after eleven

— Did you find out the weather forecast in the morning before the game and did you know what to expect? — I ask the interlocutors.

Andreeva: — Yes, of course.

Schneider: — We didn't buy air tickets!

Andreeva: — We haven't bought it until recently. We knew it was going to rain, the weather was going to be unfavorable, and we didn't understand how it would turn out. I didn't think it would take a whole, whole day, but it just happened. There was nothing we could do about it.

— And if all this had lasted all day, would there have been a postponement to tomorrow? How does it all work?

Schneider: — There were a lot of options. We talked about it (with the organizers — Ed.). If we had agreed to play after eleven p.m., we could have waited until then. There could be a postponement for tomorrow. There were even suggestions that we wouldn't play at all if everyone agreed. There were a lot of ifs and buts. And yet, at least a little bit, but we were lucky. The sun came out, and we were able to finish the game in normal time.

— Would you agree to play after eleven p.m., which is beyond the time allowed by the associations for the start of matches?

SCHNEIDER: — Yes.

Andreeva: — And I would agree. Because I know that Diana needs to go to Charleston. If I had to go to a tournament, it would also be better to play late today rather than tomorrow. I also wanted to leave as soon as possible and have a little rest, stay at home before the first clay tournament in Stuttgart. That's why we made the decision together, and if there was already a specific question, we would like to play after eleven.

— From the details of how you spent those six hours, it is already known that you were in different rooms, did not see each other, and Mirra even managed to dance. What else did you do and what did you feel?

Andreeva: — Yes, we broke up right away, but not because we told each other: "That's it, I don't want to see you!" Ha-ha.

Schneider: Mirra has a mom here, Conchita, and I have my own team. It is ok. Everyone has their own routine — someone eats at one time, someone at another...

Andreeva: — I managed to sleep. We played cards together, at Uno. Then they warmed up, went back, warmed up again... In general, we spent this time in a way that each of us is comfortable with.

— And what do athletes eat at a time when they don't know what time they will have to go on the court?

Andreeva: — First, I ate rice and chicken, which I usually eat to digest everything, and I didn't feel heavy. Then I got hungry and ate sushi. In general, this was enough. Then there were small snacks — at some point fruit, at some point a banana.

— You left for the break with 3-0 in your favor, but after returning you immediately lost two games, and in the third it was 40:0 on the opponents' serve. Have you rusted a little during this time?

Schneider: 3-0 — it may sound solid, but it's still just one break. When they came out, they played well and started playing well. We've become more energized, maybe we've received some advice from our coaches. We made some mistakes ourselves and lost our serve.

— And how did you manage to take this almost hopeless game, which became a turning point in the first set?

Schneider: — We gathered, supported each other, said that nothing terrible had happened. Now we just have to re-enter this game, because it's still hard. We sat for a long time, waited, walked back and forth, it was unclear when and what. It happens, but we did well to get together and close the set — 6-3.

So far, combining a single and a couple is working well.

— The second set turned out to be more than dramatic. You took someone else's serve twice and immediately gave it away, including at 6:5. And in the tie-break — the same insulting story.

Andreeva: — Yes, we didn't manage to apply for the match. But let's say it was 3:40 p.m., Diana served beautifully, just super — 30:40. Then he serves great again, I think it's a cool serve, I'm going to do something now. But the opponent took it very well, and in general they played the whole game like that. It happens that way. That's why it turned out to be a tie-break. They led there too, then I messed up...

Schneider: — We both screwed up! And both of them are experienced players, they fought until the very end, and in some moments they played more risky, and in others they guessed better what we could do. The most important thing is that we turned it all around in the decisive tie-break.

— How did you manage to turn yourself around at that moment?

Schneider: — Just like in the first set after the resumption of play, we gathered and supported each other. They said that we would gnaw this court with our teeth, fight to the very end and do everything possible to win.

— The championship tiebreak seemed pretty easy for you.

Schneider: — It seems that way on the whole. In fact, it required a lot of attention and focus on our part. I knew that even if we were leading, they would still fight to the end. Therefore, until they announce that the match is over, we are playing!

— You're both in the top 20 now, both in singles and doubles!

Both in unison: — Yes! — and they clap each other's hands.

— Are you strong enough for both categories, in particular, at Grand Slam tournaments?

Andreeva: — Of course, it's not easy. But we are young!

Schneider: — That's what I wanted to say!

Andreeva: — We have a lot of energy and strength. So far, combining a single and a couple is working well, it seems to me. Both are happy now. I'm not complaining, everything suits me.

Schneider: — And me!

— Is there a relationship between solo and pair performances — does flying out of one make it easier to play in the other or, conversely, creates a mood?

Schneider: — It seems to me that Mirra and I are similar in this regard. That is, whether we play singles or doubles, we always give one hundred percent, no matter how it turns out in the other category. Emotionally, it's easier for me to play as a couple, because Mirra has a partner there who supports me and doesn't let me go into any negative emotions. And in singles, I have matches when I start to push myself too hard, to put too much emphasis on some mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, but I focus on them, get upset, and make them even more. And when I'm paired with Myrrh, who supports me, and I don't bother with mistakes and just play more relaxed than when I'm single.

I was hoping to drink champagne and celebrate, but everything is already closed in the USA.

— You communicate a lot during the match, more than any of the competitors I've seen. About what?

Schneider: — We have a mix, so to speak. Of course, we're talking about the game, what we want to do next. Mirra and I joke a lot to lighten the mood. There are some emotions, sometimes the score is pinched - and such jokes allow us to make it easier and we played with great emotions.

— Let me ask you a deliberately amateurish question. I looked at you during training, and you were on opposite sides of the net. You, Mirra, are with Martinez, and you, Diana, are with your brother.

Schneider: Sometimes with my brother, sometimes with my dad.

— But how does it help to debug the interaction if you are on opposite sides of the grid?

Andreeva: — I would say that in general there is no way. But we have a lot of paired exercises, and in general we focus on practicing as a whole. I love sparring with Diana, because we almost never make mistakes and we all play back and forth with the same ball. That's why the workouts are always great, we have a relationship, everything is fine.

— Do you have any favorite tournaments as a couple? Now it's clear that Miami, and before that?

Andreeva: — We love Australia. But there's still a big part of the year ahead, so ask us about it next year!

— How will you celebrate the victory?

Andreeva: — Diana will go to the tournament, so I don't think she will celebrate much!

Schneider: — I was hoping to drink champagne, celebrate. But the time is nine o'clock in the evening! Everything is already closed in America!

Andreeva: — And I'll fly home, I'll have a couple of days off. We're going to live with my mom, so maybe we'll go to a restaurant, take a walk, buy something. Let's see!

— After the semi-final, you did not discuss the topic of Daria Kasatkina's citizenship change, saying that you were preparing for the game and only found out about it from me. Do you have anything to say now?

Schneider: We don't want to discuss this topic, so let's leave it at that.

Andreeva: — I agree.

— Both of you, and Mirra in particular, wanted to go to Miami for an NBA game. Did you succeed?

Andreeva: — Oh, no, we didn't have time!