"I feel like we are two different people" - Andreeva draws upon new mindset heading into 2026 as she divulges 'I want to thank myself' jacket

Mirra Andreeva is coming into the Australian Open in blistering form after winning the Adelaide International title. She looks back to her best after a lacklustre end to the 2025 season filled with disappointment and frustration.

In her press conference ahead of her opening round match against the Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic, Andreeva stated that she was feeling good and raring to go. "Obviously it’s good to come from a great week in Adelaide. I’ve already had my first practice here on the Melbourne courts. I’m feeling good and can’t wait for the tournament to start tomorrow," she began.

The end of last season was not up to the high standards Andreeva had set herself. The early WTA 1000 triumphs and deep Grand Slam runs were fleeting memories as she struggled for form, resulting in an absence from the WTA Finals after finishing ninth in the race by just a handful of points. The off-season was the perfect chance to reset.

"Before starting the preseason, obviously me and Kira talked and touched base on a couple of things that we wanted to improve and work on," she stated. "We had a quick sit-down just to talk about what I feel I have to improve and what she feels I have to improve. After that, we just started to practise. It was a long and good preseason. From what I’ve been seeing over the last couple of days, it was not bad — it was working."

A big part of her title that she collected in Adelaide was down to this change of mindset, but also due to the tennis she produced on the court. "Both. Because if you only work on tennis but not on your mind, it’s not really going to work. You have to kind of balance between these things," she said.

It is not only the mindset that has changed. While struggling in the Asian swing, the Russian's attitude became more negative, and an emotional Andreeva would normally be on the court over the relaxed and focused one many had got used to.

"Before preseason, before starting to put a lot of work in, I watched the videos of my last matches. There is a huge difference between what I was doing on court then — during the Chinese swing — and how I play and how I am on court now, even compared to yesterday."

These had been overlooked and changed for the better. "There was also a lot of talking done during the offseason and a lot of work put in, both tennis-wise and mentally. I feel like we are two different people if you compare me now and me in October."

Now in a good frame of mind, it is all about keeping it. "I just hope that I’ll be able to keep this mindset for as long as I can," she acknowledged. "With the wins especially, I feel more and more confident in what I do on the court. When you feel confident, you go for your shots more and you’re more brave on the court. I hope I can stay in this mindset for a long period of time."

It is very much normal to see a highly emotional player on one side of the court, with them sometimes producing the goods with the quality they posses, despite whatever attitude they show. For Andreeva, when her head went down results shifted that direction too.

She explained the reason for this. "It was probably because I didn’t really match my expectations," Andreeva said. "I was expecting myself to play better at some point, and then I saw that it didn’t really work. I wasn’t playing as well as I thought I would, and I started to be mad at myself. Then all those things — an opponent playing well, missing another shot — go into a big snowball that keeps rolling and rolling. At some point, you really have to find a chance to escape so the snowball doesn’t kill you. Maybe I did it in time. Hopefully. For now, it’s good. For now, it’s better."

The Adelaide International final was an advert for tennis in the distant future. Many have touted both Andreeva and Victoria Mboko to come up against each other many times in the future, with these possibly big matches deep in glamarous tournaments.

It was their first matchup against each other. Despite going 3-0 down, Andreeva was rampant for the rest of the match, just dropping one game to clinch her first WTA title since March. She was not put off playing someone like Mboko who has been highly touted by many pundits and fans, putting their friendship aside when on the court to get the job done.

"It wasn’t weird. It was more like — obviously at some point it was going to happen," she commented. "When I saw her play amazing tennis last year, winning the Montreal tournament, and knowing her for a very long time — she’s one of my good friends — it was more exciting than anything. We got to share the final together, and I think if we both continue playing at a high level, we’re going to have many more finals in the future, unfortunately against each other. For me, it was exciting to see another good friend do well."

After winning that final, she put on a jacket which had on it: "I want to thank myself." It has become a synonymous catchphrase with the 18-year-old, who unveiled how long the jacket was at the bottom of her tennis bag.

"I’ve had this jacket for a while, and unfortunately it didn’t mean anything until Adelaide," she explained. "I was carrying it in my suitcase to every single tournament. It was a nice present from the Nike team when I won the two 1000 tournaments. Since then, it was just sitting in my suitcase, waiting for the moment. In Adelaide, when I went to the final, I put it in my bag — just at the bottom — kind of to forget it was there. Luckily, I got a chance to wear it for the first time."

This can be quite an awkward situation for Andreeva, along with fellow tennis players. "When I win and then meet the person I beat in the locker room, especially if our lockers are next to each other, I feel a little awkward," she said. "When I lose, I don’t care. If I lose, I’m probably mad, looking at the floor, doing my thing, and leaving. When I win, I try to be quiet and not too happy around the person I beat."

Before the match it is slightly different but Andreeva still manages to keep the same routine, to which not all competitors stand by. "Nothing really changes. You greet each other and say hi. Some girls don’t do that, which is fine. For me, it wouldn’t matter if I’m playing against someone or not — I would always say hi the same way I would on any other day. Before a match, it’s always the same for me."