“It’s pretty complicated to work with me”: Mirra Andreeva reflects on dynamic with coach Conchita Martinez

The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva admitted to certain superstitions during tournaments and shared details about her close relationship with Conchita Martinez, a former Wimbledon champion who has been her coach for nearly a year. Andreeva opened her Australian Open campaign with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over world No. 43 Marie Bouzkova.

World No. 15 Andreeva has risen quickly in the WTA Tour rankings and is the youngest player in the top 100. She started the season by reaching the semifinals of the Brisbane International, scoring wins over Linda Noskova (No. 28) and Ons Jabeur (No. 39). Her solid form continues as she appears poised for another breakthrough in 2025.

Andreeva opens up about food rituals

In April last year, the Russian teenager began working with Conchita Martinez, the Spanish coach and former world No. 2. The Russian seemingly sought a high-profile former player, as Dinara Safina and Kim Clijsters later revealed that Andreeva had approached them about a potential partnership.

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The decision to hire Martinez has paid off so far. Andreeva achieved her best Grand Slam result by reaching the French Open semifinals, won her maiden title at the Iasi Open, and finished runner-up at the WTA 500 Ningbo Open, where she led 3-0 in the final set before her close friend Daria Kasatkina rallied to take the title.

In her recent Australian Open press conference, Andreeva spoke about her food-related superstition during tournaments and how Martinez has tried to address it. "It’s pretty complicated to work with me because if I start the tournament eating chicken and rice, well, I cannot change after. I cannot take pasta or anything else. I will always take chicken and rice,” Andreeva said.

"If I start like this, I’ve got to continue like this. Even if I’m tired, I have no choice, but I have to eat it,” the 17-year-old star added. “Today, I started with dried fruits (for on-court snacks), so it is dried fruits for Melbourne this year.”

Mirra Andreeva at 2025 Brisbane International, she reached semifinals and was eliminated by Aryna Sabalenka.

The world No. 15 commented on her strong off-court relationship with Martinez, who stays close and supportive, a dynamic Andreeva appreciates. “I feel very comfortable telling her everything that happens in my life. I don’t know if she wants to hear it, though! But I’m very comfortable sharing with her everything that’s going on.”

"We let ourselves joke around and have some fun. Of course, she’s very professional; she knows when the fun is over and when we need to really put the work in, for example, on the tennis court. When we’re off the tennis court, we can have some fun, but of course, we also need to take it seriously sometimes.”

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The Russian is set to face world No. 63 Moyuka Uchijima in the second round this Thursday. Andreeva has also advanced in the doubles draw, partnering with Diana Shnaider, with whom she won a women’s doubles silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. They defeated Piter/Moratelli in the first round and could face the fourth seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, potentially recreating the Olympic final where the Italians claimed gold.

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