‘What’s good about her is that,’ Mirra Andreeva’s coach reveals one big quality in the Russian after her dramatic Indian Wells title win

Conchita Martinez has coached 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva to two impressive back-to-back WTA 1000 title wins.

‘What’s good about her is that,’ Mirra Andreeva’s coach reveals one big quality in the Russian after her dramatic Indian Wells title win

Conchita Martinez and Mirra Andreeva (via Instagram)

Conchita Martinez was a finalist at Indian Wells twice. She lost to Monica Seles in 1992 and Steffi Graf in 1996 in the Californian desert. However, she has now coached 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva to triumph in Indian Wells, defeating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals. This marks Andreeva’s third singles title, and a second consecutive WTA 1000 title win.

Andreeva and Martinez began their coaching partnership in April 2024. Martinez was the Wimbledon champion in 1994 and runner-up at the 1998 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open. Prior to coaching Andreeva, Conchita guided Garbine Muguruza to the 2017 Wimbledon Championships title, and also coached Karolina Pliskova.

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She’s only 17. She’s a very mature girl, but she also knows how to be… how can I put this? A little mischievous. She likes to joke, to have fun. It’s not a flaw, on the contrary. The balance is excellent. You don’t want someone too serious, too mature to the point of losing their spontaneity. What’s good about her is that she’s smiling almost all the time.

Conchita Martinez via L’Equipe

Coach Conchita Martinez had some sweet remarks for a young Mirra Andreeva, praising the Russian’s ability to balance between both her mature side and her mischievous and fun side. Andreeva’s cheeky side has been pretty evident throughout the tournament, especially during her interviews and her victory speech.

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Aryna Sabalenka has also lauded Andreeva’s staggering rise in tennis at a young age, attributing it to the healthy and supportive relationship Andreeva has with her team. The Belarusian claimed that surrounding herself with the right people at Andreeva’s age would have made a lot of difference.

Mirra Andreeva’s victory speech was filled with fun moments

Mirra Andreeva’s fun and humorous side was very noticeable during her victory speech. After defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final, Andreeva hilariously praised herself for displaying the fighting spirit needed to compete with the World No. 1. The crowd reacted positively to her speech, appreciating her confidence and personality.

Mirra Andreeva
Mirra Andreeva (Image via X)

Last but not least, I’d like to again thank myself for fighting till the end and always believing in me, for never quitting. I tried to run like a rabbit today because Aryna was sending bullets, and it was really hard to keep up. So I was just trying my best, and that is why, I would thank myself because I think that I played a little part also.

Mirra Andreeva’s 2025 Indian Wells victory speech

Sabalenka also showed a bit of her humorous side during Andreeva’s speech. As Andreeva was acknowledging her opponent, Sabalenka was making playful gestures behind her back, seemingly downplaying her own performance at Indian Wells, where she was also a runner-up in 2023. However, when Andreeva turned back toward her, she took notice of Sabalenka’s gestures and cheekily remarked, “I’ve seen that before”.

Mirra Andreeva defeats Aryna Sabalenka for the first time on hard court

Aryna Sabalenka had defeated Mirra Andreeva twice earlier this year—at the Brisbane International semifinals and the Australian Open Round of 16. Andreeva’s sole victory over Sabalenka in their previous 5 encounters preceding the Indian Wells, was at the clay courts of Roland Garros in 2024. She stunned Sabalenka in the quarterfinals of this Grand Slam, becoming the youngest player to reach the semifinals of the French Open since Martina Hingis in 1997.

Mirra Andreeva Dubai Tennis Championships 2025
Mirra Andreeva winning the Dubai Tennis Championships 2025 (via Instagram)

However, Andreeva turned the tables on their hard court encounter this time. Andreeva was an unstoppable force this time, having entered Indian Wells just after clinching the Dubai Tennis Championships, having defeated higher-ranked players like Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in both of these tournaments.

Her title win in Dubai also cemented her legacy as the youngest WTA 1000 champion. In the Indian Wells finals, Andreeva came back from a set down to outplay Sabalenka. Following her impressive run this season, Andreeva has now ascended to a career-high ranking of World No. 6.