"Talking to Sharapova helped me a lot"

The seventh racket of the world Mirra Andreeva, in a conversation with Izvestia and Sport-Express, admitted that she was ready to continue the experiment with joint performances in mixed doubles with the long-term leader of our men's tennis, Daniil Medvedev. The athlete also spoke about her training with the famous Spanish coach Conchita Martinez and a conversation with Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon.

I'm not really looking forward to my 18th birthday, because I don't want to get old.

— You will turn 18 on April 29. With what emotions are you waiting for this date and what gifts do you expect from your parents, Conchita Martinez and your team in general?

— I'm not really looking forward to my 18th birthday, because I don't want to get old! And I don't want to be an adult anymore. And I'm not really expecting any gifts, because I hope I'll still be playing at the tournament in Madrid at this moment. I'll try to make a gift for myself, that is, to play well there. And if you get a match right on your birthday, you can win it. I don't know if we're going to celebrate in a serious way. But, most likely, yes, because my dad will turn 50 on the same day. So maybe we'll figure something out, go somewhere. But I'm not sure that there will be many, many gifts.

— One of the main ones that you have recently made for yourself is the victories in the semifinals and finals of Indian Wells over Iga Sventek and Arina Sobolenko. They are the two first rackets of the world in recent years. What would you like to learn from them?

— I like the fact that in every match that Sobolenko goes to, she rushes, presses. I've already played against her several times this year, and I can feel it. Maybe she should learn this kind of behavior on the court. I like Sventek's professional approach to everything. I've trained with her myself, and I can feel the difference. There's a lot to learn there. Let's see!

— In less than 48 hours, you first beat Sobolenko in the decisive match of Indian Wells, and then appeared in front of the press on the other side of America, in Miami. How were these two days for you?

— First— the award ceremony, communication with journalists. Then we went to a restaurant, had a good meal, and talked a lot. Then — packing for the road. Wake up at three in the morning to go to the airport. Our flight was at six, and the flight lasted almost the whole day. We arrived at 18:30 in the East of America, immediately went to the hotel. Then I had a little time to go to the supermarket and buy something, then dinner with my mom and sleep. I've already practiced since the morning before the meeting with the reporters.

— Do you have a feeling before successful tournaments that they will turn out that way, or vice versa?

— Judging by the recent history with Dubai, the opposite is true. Before that, there was a tournament in Doha, where I quickly lost (in the second round) to the 46th racket of the world from Slovakia, Rebecca Shramkova. — Izvestia), and it was difficult for me to come to terms with it. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to focus on playing doubles, where Diana and I reached the semifinals. It helped to keep the positive.

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

Mirra Andreeva and Diana Schneider — about a resounding victory in Miami and immediate plans

We trained a lot in Doha, talked a lot with Conchita. But when we arrived in Dubai, I didn't expect anything from myself, because my previous result at this tournament was not very good. The mood was like I was going to perform just for the sake of the game. It seems to me that this always happens: when you don't expect anything from yourself, it ends up being one of the best tournaments of your life.

I think my name has something to do with the myrtle tree.

— You have an unusual and beautiful name. Did Mom tell you how she came up with it?

— Mom told me that they thought for a long time. But when they named Erica Erica, they decided that the second girl couldn't just be Katya or Alyona, they needed something interesting and unusual. His mom came up with it. I don't know how she and Dad found this name in the first place, but I think it has something to do with the myrtle tree, I don't remember exactly. To be honest, I've always been a little jealous because I liked Eric's name better than mine. Because she has a beautiful autograph, which can be displayed thanks to the letter E. But I can't do that with the letter M, and that made me a little angry. But I really like my name, and I'm glad that my parents called us so unusual.

— You told me that after the victories you can go to a restaurant with your mother and have a delicious meal. What does "delicious" mean to you? What dishes do you allow yourself and which ones do you refuse?

— In general, I try to eat right, healthy food. Of course, sometimes, when I really want to, I don't forbid myself to eat some dessert, a chocolate bar. And by "have a delicious meal" I mean go to a restaurant, eat some cool steak or just whatever you want! That is, if I want pasta, I'll eat it, steak is steak. But I have to be in a good restaurant and have a great, great meal.

— Maria Sharapova recently said that she personally supports you. How was your interaction with her at Wimbledon last year, and can you call her an example for you of what can be achieved at this age?

— Of course, tennis has changed now, but I can say one hundred percent that she is a role model for many, including me. The way she behaved on the court from the very beginning of her career and the way she played is also very impressive. I'm reviewing some of the matches now, in particular, when Maria won the US Open final against Justine Henin (in 2006, when Andreeva was not yet born. — Izvestia). I watched the whole game, which for some reason came across to me on YouTube. Everything I saw— both in the game and in the behavior, made a big impression on me. That's why I say that she is and will be one of the examples for me.

We didn't talk for long at Wimbledon, but I asked the things that were important to me. It was interesting for me to understand how she dealt with these things throughout her career. Talking to her helped me a lot. After that, I began to think about my career a little differently and became more aware of some points. I won't talk about them in more detail, I want to keep it to myself. But our conversation in London turned out to be very useful for me.

— Unlike Sharapova or Sobolenko, you almost never scream on the court when you hit. Are you holding yourself back, or is this some kind of natural state?

— Rather natural. Because when I tried to make more screams on impact, it even distracted me. Now I generally make a small sound when I hit the ball, but it's not that loud. It helps me, somehow I exhale. Therefore, a small — just a little — cry is still present.

Final with sequel: how Andreeva and Schneider became the second duet of world tennis

The Russians confidently won the American "thousandth" in doubles and will now be seeded at the Grand Slam tournaments

At tournaments, we share a room with Erica.

— Which of the current Russian tennis players is closest to you on the tour? Besides my sister and Schneider, of course.

— In general, we greet all our girls, we can exchange a few warm words. But the closest relationships I can talk to directly about anything are, of course, my sister, Diana, Dasha Kasatkina, and maybe Nastya Pavlyuchenkova and Nastya Potapova.

— How does your relationship with your older sister change with your success? Do you listen to her advice and does she continue to advise you? Or are you her now?

— We give each other advice. Obviously, we're both playing, and she's been through something that I haven't been through yet. Sometimes we advise each other about our rivals, if she played with mine or vice versa. We always help and support each other.

— Is it true that you are still living together?

— Yes, we share a room at tournaments. We feel so comfortable, we talk about a lot and spend a lot of time together.

— Would you like to involve her in your joint training with Schneider?

— I don't really like to train with three people, that's why... I don't know. And adding another player is also not very good.

— Was there anyone from foreign tennis players who helped you at the very beginning of your professional career?

— Madrid was my breakthrough tournament in 2023, where I lost in the 1/8 finals. And even, in my opinion, during the competition I received a message from Bianca Andreescu. She was the first and, in my opinion, the only one who wrote that if I needed any advice and any support, I could always turn to her. And after the recent victory in Indian Wells, she wrote to me again and congratulated me, saying very pleasant words. That's why I'm happy to mention her name.

— In Miami, there was a sensational episode in which Marta Kostyuk handed over a matchball in a match with Anna Blinkova. How do you feel about this?

— It's her choice of how to serve. Martha wanted to give it by hand, and I don't even know how to comment on it. I think she apologized. She served and served.

— So you don't consider this to be some kind of deliberate humiliation of a rival?

"I wouldn't say that.

I hope that I will be able to play mixed doubles with Medvedev at the US Open.

— How are you doing with your studies?

— It's a little complicated. I am currently in the 11th grade of an online school. I have deadlines by which I need to complete all the subjects. In general, I can say that I combine all this well with the game, so I'm not complaining about anything yet.

— How did fate bring you and Conchita Martinez together, and what did she feel about you that made you work so well together?

— When we trained with her for the first time, it was a little awkward. No one knew whether to say something or not to say it. But with training, all that awkwardness has gone away. At the very first tournament I played with her, I immediately felt very comfortable, as if I had known her for a long time. From that moment on, I felt that our cooperation could be long-lasting. I am very grateful to my team, which helped me find such a coach. And I will try to do my best to keep Conchita and me working as long as possible.

Tough start: what to expect from Rublev and Medvedev in Monte Carlo

Daniil won a crazy match against Khachanov in the first round, and Andrei, led by Safin, will start the clay season with Monfils.

— What is the main component of the game that you need to improve?

— Any player will answer this question that you need to add a little bit everywhere. I also want to improve my tennis in everything, but I probably would especially like to play more actively in singles, go to the net. That's also why I play a couple — to develop all sides of the game. And Diana and I are doing very well together. I hope I can handle this alone.

— Daniil Medvedev told me that he would also like to play mixed doubles with you, even if you were eliminated in the first round at the Paris Olympics. Are you with him? How did your work and communication work out?

— Of course, I'm very happy to play with him in the mix! I get a lot of pleasure from it. It may not have been very successful at the Olympics, but I hope it will be successful at the US Open. We have already agreed that we will play together there again. We can have a good tandem.

— You have excellent English. How are things going with other languages?

— I'm learning French. I can say that I understand almost everything in it, but when I speak, I have some problems because I don't have enough vocabulary. I'm trying to learn Spanish because my coach is Spanish, even if she speaks English. Sometimes she speaks to me in Spanish, and I understand almost everything, although, of course, not in the same way as in English. I can't really answer her, but I know what she means, and I answer in English. In general, I speak one language and learn two more at the same time, but I can't imagine how successful such a combination will be.

— Which tournament and city would you personally call your favorite?

— I love everything! Especially the Grand Slam tournaments, the atmosphere is so cool there! And from the cities — Melbourne, I feel very comfortable there. I also like Madrid, and I seem to be playing well there, ugh, ugh, ugh.