Mirra Andreeva: How Did Coach Conchita Martinez Overcome Adversities to Become a Tennis Legend?

Conchita Martinez etched her name in the history of tennis long ago. The first Spaniard to ever win the women’s singles at Wimbledon, the player-turned-coach achieved various accolades in every sector of the game during her 18-year career. But her journey was far from easy. Recalling the struggles that the coach of Mirra Andreeva went through in her career, the three Olympic medalist shed light on the “very hard” moments of her life as a tennis player.

On May 16, the TennisWorthy podcast invited the 52-year-old former player to the show. During the first segment of the podcast, the host, Chris Bowers, asked Conchita Martinez, “You mentioned that you went to Barcelona. You left home at the age of twelve and became a resident to improve your tennis. Was that hard?”

Martinez replied, “Yeah, of course. It’s hard. It’s hard, but it was a natural way of going. I mean, if I wanted to improve, you know, you had to get out of home. I mean, my hometown was smaller. It was like 16,000 people. I didn’t have other kids that I could play with. You know, adults and stuff like that.”

Further adding, she said, “But you know, you have to prove yourself with other best players in the country of your age and different ages and, and to continue to improve and learn from other coaches. And yeah, of course, it was hard. I was 12 years old, not easy.”

Mirra Andreeva’s coach’s mother had a “hard time” accepting it, but it was her father to whom she confessed, “This is my dream. You know, I really want to do this and didn’t have any doubts. Not one doubt, not one doubt.” After almost 4 years of struggle, a 16-year-old Martinez finally turned pro in 1988. It didn’t take her long to show promise on-court, as she went on to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros in the same year and finished at world No. 7 the following year. Since then, she hasn’t had to look back. 

Apart from achieving 33 singles titles, the former world no. 2 embraced the top 10 spot for nine years of her career. But soon, Conchita Martinez faced another set of difficulties as she struggled with physical injuries. At first, it was her thigh, then it was the tendonitis in her right arm that proved to be another obstacle. Although she overcame her injuries, and went on to defeat Martina Navaratilova in Wimbledon, she had to finally put a full stop to her career in 2006. 

The reason was another injury to her Achilles tendon that ultimately compelled her to retire after making it to the finals of the Davis Cup, which Martinez has won five times in her career. “I made it to the finals in Davis. So it was good. I was at peace. I had surgery,” she said in the same podcast. However, now she’s living out her tennis dream from behind the scenes of the story of a talented teenager.

Conchita Martinez reveals how Mirra Andreeva is “focused” on working “in a certain direction” with her

Conchita Martinez, who also coached Garbine Muguruza, is now guiding Mirra Andreeva to win her first semifinal match at Roland Garros. The former Australian Open runner also has a special place in the Tennis Hall of Fame, as her name is inducted there forever. However, currently her focus is on Mirra Andreeva, the 17-year-old Russian tennis prodigy who just overpowered the world no. 2 in the quarterfinal in Paris.

“She’s been doing great. She’s been handling every situation the right way. We put in a lot of hard work after Rome. We focused our work in a certain direction. She’s trusted me, she’s been executing it well,” Martinez recently said.

Conchita Martinez’s journey from Barcelona to tennis greatness is a testament to her resilience and love for the sport. As she continues to steer young players to the right direction, the tennis world will certainly remember her contributions to the sport.