AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2025

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/M. Uchijima

6-4, 3-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Mirra, what a fight from you today. Your thoughts on your match out there.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yes, it was tough. But I'm just really happy with the outcome. I'm really happy with the way I managed to come back in the third set.

Yeah, just happy to stay here for two more days and play my next match here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tough match. How were you feeling during it?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, it's always tough when you don't really know the opponent. I've never played her. I've never practiced with her.

Yeah, it was tough. In the end, she played great, hitting a lot of winners, putting the ball back. So it was not easy.

I felt like, well, I would say that I had a lot of mistakes today. I'm just happy that I managed to win the match in the end. Yeah, it definitely was tough. But I'm just happy to be here.

Q. You just said that you didn't know much about your opponent. Have never played, practiced. How did you analyze your opponent? How did you manage to turn around the game?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I would say that she's an aggressive player. She has a really good forehand. She tries to step in the court when she has an opponent. She likes to take the forehand. I tried to mix it up and play more with her backhand. Also so she just doesn't just wait for my ball to go to her backhand, I tried to mix it up and play to her forehand, as well.

She's tough. She likes to play aggressive. I just tried to stay there and put the balls back and fight. In the end, that's what I did.

Q. Were you having flashbacks to last year? What were you telling yourself? I remember last year you said something like you just wanted to see if you could get the match to two hours, then playing game by game. What kind of talks with yourself were you having today?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Honestly, the only thing that I had in my mind is this court is cursed and I don't want to play on that court again. Yeah, I had this thought during the whole match.

I just tried to kind of let it out. I tried not to think about it. But still it was there. I just, yeah, had the thought that this stupid court, it's all because of this court. I just tried to, you know, forget about this and play every point.

Yeah, after losing 3-5, I kind of felt the same energy as last year from people. It really helped me because they started cheering even more for me. I guess they wanted to see the comeback. I just tried my best to stay in the match.

In the end on the tiebreak, I was freaking nervous. But I'm so happy in the end I managed to win the match.

Q. Sabalenka mentioned that it would make her happy to play under her country's flag again. Do you have any personal thoughts on that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I would say that there is nothing I can do. It doesn't depend on me. Whatever happens happens. Yeah, I cannot do anything about it, so...

Just, yeah, that's it.

Q. It is unusual being so young and having such good results so quickly. Now it's unusual. Did you ever have any doubts starting as young as you did?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Of course, I think as every person, I had doubts. I tried to work on it. I talked a lot with myself and with my team. We just tried to figure out what is the best thing to do.

After I just decided, okay, anyways I will just try to fight and enjoy each match I play. In the end I think that this is when I play my best tennis, when I just try not to think about the score or about opponent or about, I don't know, what my opponent does on court. I just try to kind of enjoy the time when my racquet hits the ball, the sound, the support from people, the sound when I move my legs. I just try to focus on those things, on real things that happen during the match. That's when I play my best tennis, I would say.

Q. You are such a young player. You already have goals through many experiences, tough matches. You have gone through this kind of match already. How do you use that, your experience, and how much do you think it's important for that kind of experiences?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I think that I still can have more experience. I'm not like super experienced player on tour yet. I guess it comes with age. I'm still, I would say, a bit young, a bit fresh.

I think sometimes I'm missing the experience. But I think with time it will just come my way and I will learn how to deal with certain things during the match.

But, yeah, now I would say sometimes it helps when I play against lower-ranked opponents. I feel like I have probably more experience than them playing under pressure moments or playing on the bigger courts. I think that helps me, of course, as it would help any other player, I think.

Aryna Sabalenka, when she plays on Rod Laver, I think she's probably one of the most experienced players on WTA. I would say that she feels very comfortable playing on that court. I think, as every high-ranked opponent, has a bit more experience.

I still miss some, but I hope with time it will just come.

Q. There's been some players mentioning a difference in how the ball is reacting, being a bit heavier on the indoor courts, fluffing up a bit on the outdoor courts. Do you have any thoughts on the ball speed...

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, my first match I played under the roof. This match I played on the outside court. Of course, it was a bit different. I would say when I played under the roof, the ball definitely was a bit heavier, it was going a bit slow. On the outside court it goes a bit faster. Especially when the ball hits the line, it's very tough to put the ball back in the court.

It is what it is. On the first day I was just really happy that with the rain I had a stadium with a roof. Today I think I was very lucky. We just waited 30 minutes; then after there was no rain. So thank God, I think on the forecast the rain was supposed to come I think around 1. Yeah, it didn't. I'm just really happy we could finish the match without stopping.

Yeah, I would say there is a bit of a difference when you play inside and outside.

Q. Have you had a chance to talk to Conchita? What was your conversation?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah. I'm not going to exactly say what she said because I think people would really not like it. She just said, God. She was a bit pissed at me because she said she was very nervous. Of course, after she said that it was a good match, she liked the way I fight until the end.

The first word was a bit not, you know, the best. I cannot say it right here. In the end I think she was pretty happy.