Mirra Andreeva has enjoyed a strong start to her 2025 season, picking up two titles at the WTA 1000 level.
The Russian number one won the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Tennis Championships, when Andreeva beat Clara Tauson in the final, 7-6, 6-1.
Andreeva then won Indian Wells, shocking the world’s top two players, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, on her way to victory in California.
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Moving over to clay courts, the 17-year-old hopes to make a deep run at the Madrid Open, where she reached the quarterfinals last year.
Things certainly look good for Andreeva, although her coach has identified an area of her game that needs improvement.
Conchita Martinez says ‘feisty’ Mirra Andreeva gets in her own head at times
Speaking to Daniela Hantuchova, Andreeva’s coach, Conchita Martinez, shared her thoughts on the ‘feisty’ youngster.
“It’s a pity because sometimes she gets too much into her [head], when she’s into the zone, I don’t need to talk, but when she’s not doing good or she’s more negative, sometimes she doesn’t want to talk,” she said.
“I think she needs to get better at that, but if she doesn’t want it, there’s nothing I can do; it’s not easy.
“I would say that for 17 years old, she’s quite mature, she has that playfulness of a young player, but yeah, she can get feisty on the tennis court.
“If you want to be a champion, you have to get better at those things.”
Martinez was, however, complimentary towards the WTA star’s work ethic and her eagerness to learn.
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“She’s been practising and training hard, there was a big change after a good pre-season, and you have a little bit more time to work on things, the tennis, physicality, and everything,” she said.
“Everything is kind of coming together, she’s playing loose in the matches, and actually something we really tried to do is to become a little bit more aggressive, which I think she’s doing, she’s playing well.
“She’s a girl that picks [things up] just like that, you tell her something and she’s very talented, she learns really, really fast in any department actually.
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“She’s eager to try things, everything that I offer on the table, she will say yes, let’s try, you know?
“Not often do you find a player that likes to get out of her comfort zone.”
The Spaniard was then asked whether Andreeva needs to make any other changes to win her first Major title.
“Change? Nothing,” said Martinez.
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“I think it’s about continuing the work and continuing to get better and better.
“I think she’s going on the right track, she’s still very young, what I want is for her to have her feet on the floor, and we don’t try to jump too soon.
“We have to go step by step, I think she’s ready, she’s won tournaments, she’s beaten great players, if everything comes together, why not?
“But, I wouldn’t know when it’s going to happen, but hopefully, yeah, it’s going to happen.”
The Russian star is yet to win a Grand Slam title but enjoyed her best performance at a Major tournament on the clay last year, as Andreeva lost to Jasmine Paolini in the French Open semi-finals.
Andreeva will no doubt hope to enjoy another deep Grand Slam run when she returns to the French Open in May.
Mirra Andreeva’s performances at Grand Slam tournamentsMirra Andreeva eases into the third round of the 2025 Madrid Open
The world number seven kicked off her Madrid Open campaign with a big win as she eased past Marie Bouzkova in straight sets to book her place in the third round.
Next up for Andreeva is a tough test against the 27th seed, Magdalena Frech, who won her opening match against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
If she were to advance past Frech, Andreeva could potentially play several top stars on her way to the final.
Mirra Andreeva’s route to the Madrid Open final (By ranking)
- 3R – Magdalena Frech
- 4R – Liudmila Samsonova
- QF – Coco Gauff
- SF – Iga Swiatek
- F – Aryna Sabalenka
Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images
She’ll likely relish such a task, having already beaten Swiatek and Sabalenka earlier this season.
Andreeva won’t want to get too far ahead of herself, however, and will first prepare for her third-round match against Frech on Saturday, April 26.