"Madrid is my place of power": Mirra ANDREEVA returns to site of breakout with new coach and resolve after injury woes

Mirra Andreeva returns to the Madrid Open a year on from her emergence one year ago which saw her reached the Last 16 on her tour debut. The 16-year-old prodigy was recently crowned WTA Newcomer of the Year and saw off Taylor Townsend 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 to reach the second round at Caja Magica.

But how does she reflect on her return one year on with Andreeva's ranking rise and status in the sport moving up at a fast pace since then. "I feel like Madrid is my place of power," Andreeva said. "I watched some highlights of my matches last year and I tried to see and understand what I did good, why I had this small success. I didn't see anything, honestly, nothing special. Last year, I came here hoping that I will win some matches with some kind of miracle. I was hoping that maybe my opponents will make the match turn my way. 

Working with Conchita Martinez as a new coaching addition, it is one that is paying dividends in her first main coaching change since becoming a senior player. "We started working recently, not a lot time ago, but for this short time I already feel like we've been together for a very long time," Andreeva said. "So far so good. I really like the atmosphere that we have together. I like that we can separate on court and off the court. We both know how to do that because she has a lot of experience. I also share with her my feelings, my emotions, and she's trying to do everything that is the best for me. I really enjoy working with her. But if I lose my next match, we don't work together anymore. I'm joking."

But this also comes after a period of adversity which saw Andreeva injured after Indian Wells which she said was a blessing in disguise. "This time that I took not playing tournaments, we tried to improve my physical part with my coaches and my technical part," Andreeva said. "This time, I tried to think what I can improve on my mental side because I feel like if I improve that it will be tough to beat me."

Next up though on her road is improving her ranking as she was asked what she hopes she has achieved by the next Madrid Open. "I hope that maybe I can be in the Top 10," Andreeva said. "I will hope so. I will do everything possible for that. Also to win as many more matches as I can because that will give me more experience. I will learn from every match, doesn't matter win or lose."