ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2024

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/P. Stearns

6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: A very composed performance tonight under some tough conditions. Just talk us through your thoughts on the match, please.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, thank you. It was a bit hard because of the rain delays, and we waited a lot in recovery room, and we warmed up, like, five times before the match, before we started.

So, yeah, it was a bit hard, hard conditions, but I'm happy that I managed to go through it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What parts of your game were you the happiest with today?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Everything (smiling). I really like the way I always stayed calm, and I played point-by-point. I didn't really think about the score. I was just trying to enjoy my time on court and that I finally was able to go and play.

So, yeah, just enjoyed everything.

Q. You're the youngest woman to advance to the fourth round of all three surfaces of the Grand Slams. Did you know that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: No.

Q. Since 1998, Anna Kournikova. It's been 26 years. What do you think of that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I didn't know that. I'm happy that I'm the first? Okay, in 26 years. Okay, that's good. I like that.

Yeah, I'm happy that I managed to win a lot of matches and to be here.

Q. Why do you think you're dealing so well with these tough conditions? You finished at 2:00 a.m. the other day, and it was raining and everything, and we are seeing more experienced players struggling, and you just go out there and still play your best tennis. Why do you think it doesn't affect you that much?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I just know that it doesn't depend on me. I just have to accept that the conditions are going to be like this. It's going to rain. Probably the match is going to be postponed or maybe, I don't know, we're going to finish the match other day. So I just accepted it. Well, I said, it is what it is, so I just have to accept it. I cannot change anything.

I just went on the match two days ago when I finished at 2:00 a.m. knowing that I cannot change anything. Well, I will just play. I have to accept this, and that's it.

Q. Two questions, if I could. The first one is, you've not been with Conchita for that long. I just wondered, what are the main things that she's telling you that you're listening to in terms of guidance?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I would say that the first thing is a lot of positive, especially when I have days when I don't feel great on court or when sometimes I'm, I don't know, too pissed off or something. She always gives me a lot of positive, a lot of great energy.

We always have nice atmosphere. We always laugh. We always talk about something. So this helps me a lot, so I like that. Sometimes I don't think a lot about matches, and I'm not nervous. It helps me just to kind of release some tension.

Yeah, so I would say the positivity.

Q. The second question is, I remember in Australia I think you said that you sometimes watch old matches on YouTube, and this year it is 30 years since Conchita won Wimbledon. I just wondered whether you've ever seen any of that run at all.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I actually watched her match yesterday. We were in the restaurant, and I put a match when she played a final against Mary Pierce here. She said, turn it off, turn it off, because she loves that match. I said, okay. I put a match when she won Wimbledon. She played against Navratilova. I put that match, and she actually played really good. She had some nice groundstrokes, so yeah, now I understand why she's won Wimbledon.

Yeah, that was nice to see.

Q. You are facing Varvara Gracheva in the next round. I think you know her pretty well. What is the relationship you have with her and the best memories you have with her in Cannes especially?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I know her pretty well. We've been practicing together for almost two years, so I know what to expect. She's at a great level right now. She plays great, so I'm sure it's going to be a good match.

I know it's going to be hard. Probably we're going to play some big court. She's French, you know, all this stuff. So it's going to be pretty tough for me, but I'm really excited about that match because it's challenging for me.

I know that -- well, first, of course, the atmosphere, everyone will cheer for her. Also, I know her very much, very well, and she's my friend. It's like a challenge for me.

I'm sure it's going to be an exciting match, but about memories, we didn't really share a lot of moments together. Just, like, I don't know, we practiced a lot. I think that's it. There was not a lot of memories.

Q. You've been on the tour now for kind of just over a year, and if you had to compare the player you are now at this Roland Garros to the player you were at last year's Roland Garros, what would you say you've improved on the most?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I would say I'm more stable in every way: tennis-wise, mental-wise, game-wise, everything. I know what to expect from myself. I know players, and I know how I will play.

I cannot say that I'm more experienced because, well, I don't have a lot of experience yet. But yeah, just kind of got used to the atmosphere, got used to the tournaments, to the courts, to the crowds, everything. Now it's just a bit easier for me to go and play on a bigger court.

Yeah, just go and play because, for example, last year I was very nervous before each match, but I was trying to deal with it and just kind of think, well, you have nothing to lose, just go try your best, and that's it.

Now I know what to expect, and I'm not as nervous as I was last year. It's a bit easier for me.

Q. We have not seen you after the match against Azarenka. Can you tell us a little bit more about the atmosphere with the crowd? You are the latest match on this incredible night with all the courts. Can you tell us more about the atmosphere, and was it easy to sleep after and to recover from that great match?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: First, we went on court. It was around 10:00 p.m. I usually already in bed by that time, but then I was just going to warm up before the match. Yeah, that was tough.

Our match, we were supposed to play on Court 14 with kind of big tribunes. Then they changed the court, so we needed to warm up faster. That was a bit hard.

After the match, of course, that was kind of a thriller, but after, of course, I was very excited. I was really happy that people, they stayed until the end because usually what I've seen is that when you play a late match, there's not a lot of people and you're, like, in the dark.

It's so depressing. No one is watching, and it's cold. You are playing, fighting, and no one is there. Yeah, but I just -- it felt really nice that people stayed until the end. It was a lot of people cheering for us, and it was nice.

After that I didn't have trouble to sleep. I never have troubles to fall asleep. So as soon as I came back to my room, I fell asleep, and that's it.