DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 21, 2025

Mirra Andreeva

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/E. Rybakina

6-4, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Mirra, your first WTA 1000 final tomorrow. Sum up how you're feeling right now.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, honestly it's crazy because at first I was not very positive before coming to Dubai. I was like, Okay, well, I'm just going to play.

As always, when you don't think about how you're going to play, you just play your best tennis. In the end, it's one of your best tournaments.

I'm just really happy with the way I played today and really happy to be playing my first finals.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Why were you not feeling great coming to Dubai?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, honestly after playing in Doha and losing tough second round, having a lot of opportunities, I was, I don't know, just felt a bit down. Not depressed. I was, Well, maybe now this time I'm not playing my best tennis, so okay, it's fine.

Last year I didn't play so good on these courts in Dubai. I was like, Well, okay, whatever. I'm just going to play. We're going to see.

Yeah, as I said, in the end when you don't think about what's going to happen, it always ends up being one of the best tournaments of your career.

I don't know if it's a paradox or something, but it's just like this.

Q. What's the best piece of advice you got from your psychologist to control anger and handle pressure at such a young age?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, she gave me a lot of tips. I'm not going to tell you them (smiling).

Well, mostly I was struggling with feeling a lot of anger. I'm usually pretty mad at myself when something doesn't go right. Once I even beat myself, so it can even go that way.

But, yeah, we were just working on how to deal with this anger and with pressure overall.

As I said, all the tips, I keep them (smiling).

Q. Secrets.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Those are secrets. Maybe at the end of my career, if they're going to keep working, I'm going to tell you some.

Q. What does it mean to you and for your career to be at this age a WTA 1000 finalist?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, for now I'm just trying to not think about that at all because when I didn't think about my results and about what's going to happen, I reached the final.

I think if I'm going to start thinking about what if I can, what if I cannot, what if I'm able, what if I'm not able, then I think those thoughts are going to kill me.

I know how to deal with this and I'm not going to think about it. I'm just going to wait and see who I'm going to play in the final. We're going to do everything the same. We're going to keep our routines. We're going to prepare best way possible for the final.

Q. It can be so tough after a big win to come back the next day and try to do it all again. How were you able to have such a strong start and turn it around down 3-1 in the third?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, it was a bit hard after the second set. I don't think I had any break points, but I just felt like I was very close. I was right there with her.

In the end I had few flashbacks to our last match in 2023. So I was like, No, this is not happening again. Mirra, c'mon.

I went to the toilet. I tried to take my time. I tried to think what am I supposed to do. I tried to change something.

Then in the end I just kept believing in myself. I was like, Well, I won the first set, I was right there with her in the second, didn't go my way, so I'm just going to keep playing my game. I'm just going to keep putting the ball in, run, fight, do whatever I can.

Yeah, in the end it worked somehow. I don't even know how (smiling).

Q. You beat three Grand Slam champions en route to the final. What does it mean for you to get these high-caliber wins? What does it do for your confidence? Did you always have the belief you could do this?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I would say that when I first start playing WTA tournaments, well, nobody expected anything from me, so I didn't have any pressure. I was just going out on the court, I was just playing. If it doesn't happen, if it doesn't work, and if I lose the match, everyone was still happy with my level and with the way I play.

Now, I think it's been two years now already - oh, my God, old - and now I have some kind of pressure that people are expecting some things from me. People are saying, Yeah, well, she's going to be No. 1. She's going to win the slams. She's going to be great.

That's another thing that we worked with my psychologist. It's easier for me to think these people are saying this because they want to put pressure on me, and they put pressure on me because probably they are afraid of the way I play.

So it's easier for me to think that. It helps me to go on the court with kind of anger, not to prove everyone that I really can do it, but to prove myself that I'm strong enough to handle the pressure and to really win these high-quality matches.

Q. Tomorrow you might face Tauson or Muchova. What are your thoughts going into that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I think I've been playing against a lot of hitters. Today I think was one of those matches when she plays, it's either an amazing shot that you just cannot touch or you have a small opportunity to run for the shot and to put it back in the court. I kind of had a little practice before my final match.

I don't know who's going to win, but I know that Karolina, she likes to play smart. She uses dropshots. She plays a lot of approaches, just coming to the net. She serves good.

I know that Clara, she's a heavy hitter, big server.

I think I know how to play against both of them. Well, I hope Conchita knows and she's going to tell me (smiling).

We're going to prepare our best and I hope I'm going to show my best levels tomorrow.

Q. From where you're sitting, it always looks like you're looking up quite a bit at Conchita. What do you see of Conchita? Do you see her as a calm person or does she give you energy?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I would describe her as a really energetic person. Especially when I'm losing in the score, before I was going down and I was kind of trying to handle this by myself. I was not looking at her. I was not listening. I was trying to do it by myself.

Then I guess a couple of matches showed me that, well, it's not working if I'm out there by myself. I hired her as my coach for a reason.

At first I forced myself to really look at her, to come and to ask for advice. I don't even need to ask. She just tells me what she thinks. We agreed on that she's going to tell me what she thinks, what she sees. I'm going decide if in my head if I'm going to say, Okay, whatever, or if I'm really going to accept this and accept what she's telling me and do it.

It depends on how I feel. I force myself to always look at her, to listen to what she said. Of course, it's support and it gives me energy. I also see that she's trying to pump me up.

So far it helps. I hope that it's going to continue being like this.

Q. About the tournament itself, what are your thoughts about the tournament, the environment?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I like Dubai. I hear that Dubai Mall is great. I haven't had the opportunity to go there yet. I think if I do, then I'm going to be lost because I think they have all the shops. I think, like, the high-quality shops. For example Chanel and Gucci, they even have two of those. I think if I go there, I'm going to be lost.

Overall about the tournament, how can I not like it? It's my first WTA 1000 final. Of course, I love it. I love the people. I love the atmosphere, the courts, the food, everyone and everything. It's just great.

I cannot wait to come back here next year.