French Open: Dealing With ‘Tension’, 17-YO Mirra Andreeva Heaps Praises on Conchita Martínez’s Vital Contribution to Her Growth

Mirra Andreeva’s partnership with her new coach Conchita Martinez is paying dividends straightaway. Andreeva seems to be back at the top of her game again. After a semi-final run in Madrid where she had to suffer defeat at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka, she has now advanced to the fourth round of the ongoing French Open. But what difference has Conchita made to the game of the Russian teenager?

After her third-round victory against Peyton Stearns at Roland Garros, Andreeva suggested that Martinez has mainly helped her with the mental aspects. “I would say the first thing is a lot of positive. Especially when I have days when I don’t feel great on court…she always gives me a lot of great energy, we always have a nice atmosphere, we always laugh. This helps me a lot…It helps me kind of release some tension. So, I would say a lot of positivity.” Andreeva said in the press conference.

The teenager made a great start to 2024 with a fourth-round run in the Australian Open, but she struggled leading up to the clay court season before she hired Conchita Martinez. While Martinez’s influence was visible in Andreeva’s game in Madrid, she has taken her game to the next level at Roland Garros. Not only did she beat the former Australian Open Champion Victoria Azarenka in the second round fairly comfortably, Andreeva went past Peyton Stearns like a breeze, with a straight-set victory by 6-2, 6-1.

While Andreeva is flourishing under Martinez at the ongoing French Open, Martinez herself didn’t ever win the Roland Garros title as a player. The Spaniard, however, had great credentials on clay. More than half of her career titles came on clay and she also boasts of an attractive coaching profile, having turned around the careers of players like Garbine Muguruza. The 52-year-old, however, doesn’t seem to want to recall her playing time on clay, especially at the French Open.

Conchita Martinez is not very fond of the French Open final of 2000

Mirra Andreeva revealed in the press conference that she was out with Martinez in a restaurant and tuned into the French Open final of 2000 on YouTube. It didn’t please Martinez and she asked her to turn the video off straightaway. Andreeva then switched to the 1994 Wimbledon final where Martinez beat Martina Navratilova for her maiden Slam title. “She played really good,” Andreeva said with a chuckle. “I could see why she won Wimbledon, she had some nice ground shots,” the teenager added.

Conchita Martinez was considered one of the best clay court players on the WTA tour in the nineties, but ironically the only Grand Slam title she ever won was on grass. Martinez had the opportunity to add a couple more Slams to her tally, but she fell at the last hurdle on both occasions. Apart from the French Open final in 2000 which she lost to Mary Pierce, the Spaniard also reached the final of the Australian Open in 1998 where Martina Hingis took her down in straight sets.