“I have been working on everything super hard” – Dubai champion Andreeva ready for Indian Wells

The 17-year-old is ready to move in from her Dubai triumph and is focused on showcasing her best tennis in Indian Wells

Mirra Andreeva, Dubai 2025 Image Credit: Imago / Psnewz

March 6, 2025

Russian teen Mirra Andreeva, fresh off winning her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai and breaking into the world’s top 10, believes her rise in the game an outcome of the hard work she has been putting into all aspects of her game.

Andreeva defeated Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina on her way to winning the title in Dubai, which saw her rise to a career-high No 9 in the world. Speaking to the media at Indian Wells prior her start in the desert, the 17-year-old, coached by former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, reflected on the reasons for her rapid rise in the game.

“I think it’s all together, because, well, if you’re talented but, you know, you’re not very strong mentally, you’re not going to — I think that you’re not going to be at the top,” Andreeva responded whether it was mental, psychological or on-court physical training that was the biggest key to her growth. “If you’re amazingly strong mentally but, I don’t know, you’re not super talented and maybe you get, I don’t know, you get nervous at some important points, you know, I don’t think that you can be, like, at the top of the top. So I think it’s all together.”

“For me I have been working so hard on being strong mentally. Also we’ve been working with Conchita on improving my tennis, you know, at the baseline, my serve, volleys. I think the hard work paid off. Of course, we’re going to continue working and getting better. But I would say that for me, I have been working on everything super hard, and I would say that all those three aspects combined, I think that was the key for me.”

It’s been almost two weeks now, I think maybe even more, and now I have to prepare for this tournament, I have to show my best tennis here, as well.

Not one to sit back and rest on her laurels, Andreeva said she was super happy to win Dubai but is now ready to prepare an assault for the title in Indian Wells, where she lost in the first round 12 months ago.

“I like to think that what happened happened, and of course after my win in Dubai, it felt amazing. I felt a lot of adrenaline, and I was of course super happy to win the tournament,” she said. “But now it’s been almost two weeks now, I think maybe even more, and now I have to prepare for this tournament, I have to show my best tennis here, as well. I’m going to also try to win this tournament and do my best here. We’re going to see what will happen. But now I like to put Dubai not in the past but to kind of move on a little bit, because it’s already happened, and, you know, we have to still prepare for next matches and next tournaments.”

Andreeva, who received a first round bye as the ninth seed, will open her campaign against Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva, who she beat in the fourth round of last year’s French Open in their only previous meeting.