Mirra Andreeva Admits She Didn’t Know Coach Conchita Martinez Had Fiery Personality During Her Playing Days

Mirra Andreeva sat for an interview with Andy Roddick on his Served podcast, during which, among many things, she talked about her coach, Conchita Martinez. Andreeva hired Martinez in April, 2024.

Under the guidance of the 1994 Wimbledon champion, Andreeva won her maiden singles title at the Iasi Open, and last year, she clinched back-to-back WTA 1000 titles, in Dubai and Indian Wells, by defeating Clara Tauson and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively.

And this year, the 19-year-old lifted the biggest title of her career at Roland Garros. In her first Grand Slam final, Andreeva breezed past Maja Chwalinska.

In an interview, Andreeva said Conchita knows more about her nerves than she does herself. And there’s a good reason for it. Like Andreeva, the former World No.2 was pretty emotional during her playing days, and so she understands what her young protegee goes through.

Andreeva, however, didn’t know this side of the 54-year-old’s personality and joked that she is going to have a good conversation about it with her.

I honestly didn’t know that she was kind of emotional when she was playing. That’s good to have a conversation with her about that because… Well, we’ll talk about that with her when we get to that… But honestly, I would say that we talk a lot about her experience, about the way that she used to play, how she handled pressure, how she handled her emotions.

Conchita, in her press conference after guiding Andreeva to the French Open, said there are days when it’s difficult to work with Andreeva because of her emotions, and that her “attitude is difficult“.

Obviously, they also try to work together with my psychologist to kind of have that teamwork, to not say different things, but to focus on one direction and help me with that. But I think that it’s important that she’s been through that. She understands what I’m feeling, what I’m experiencing. Whether it’s a first round when I defend points or whether it’s my first final of a Grand Slam, she’s been there everywhere.

Mirra Andreeva added

Andreeva will next be playing at the Canadian Open, where she made her debut last year and lost in the third round.

Andy Roddick reveals what Jannik Sinner told him after his Wimbledon win

During that aforementioned episode of the Served podcast, Andy Roddick also discussed the withdrawals of Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner from the Canadian Open. Djokovic hasn’t competed in the tournament since his third-round exit in 2018.

But Sinner, who won his career’s first Masters 1000 title in this event, last played it in 2024. Last year, after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, the Italian ace withdrew from the Canadian Open and followed the same schedule this year after his title defense at SW19.

Roddick had already guessed Sinner would end up skipping the Montreal event after their conversation at Wimbledon.

I saw Jannik after he won Wimbledon and I said, ‘What’s next?’ And he goes, ‘Some rest.’ And so, in my mind…you don’t kind of project your opinion on what someone’s saying. And I can’t come on here and say that, he says that, therefore I think Canada’s out. But in my own mind, I’m going, okay, that means Canada’s out. 

Sinner, instead, is expected to play the Cincinnati Masters, where he handed the walkover to Alcaraz last year. The 24-year-old also lost the final of the US Open last year to the seven-time Grand Slam champion. He has a 34-match winning streak in Masters 1000s, thanks to his wins in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Monte Carlo, and Rome.

Also read: Alexandra Eala Explains Why She Turned Down Doubles Reunion with Venus Williams at the Washington Open