Teenager Andreeva Explains Approach When Facing Ukrainians Amid War Tensions
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Mirra Andreeva will face Elina Svitolina in her upcoming match at the 2025 Indian Wells Open, and she spoke about her approach when facing Ukrainians ahead of the meeting.
Andreeva has been the player in the spotlight on the WTA Tour in recent months. The teenager won the Dubai Championships, becoming the youngest-ever champion at a WTA 1000 event.
Now, she was able to take that form also to the United States, where she started well at the 2025 Indian Wells Open. She didn't only start well. In fact, she completely thrashed former champion Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of the tournament.
The 17-year-old player won 6-1, 6-2, as Rybakina made too many mistakes and failed to find any answers to the questions that the teenager asked. It was Andreeva's third straight-sets win in Indian Wells and her ninth consecutive match win.
Up next, she will fight for a semi-final spot at the event. Her opponent will be Elina Svitolina, who is the highest-ranked Ukrainian on the WTA Tour.
When asked to preview the match during her post-match press conference, Andreeva mentioned that she never played against Svitolina before but also that she trusted her coach, Conchita Martinez, to prepare her well for the match.
"I have never played her, and I saw her, of course, playing a lot of matches at the Grand Slams and the WTA tournaments when I was not on the Tour yet. So I know that she's a fighter. She runs for every ball."
"Now, she's also playing a little bit more aggressively. But all the small details, that's Conchita's job to prepare me. I hope that she's going to do well, so that's the only thing I know. After that, I'm going to ask Conchita if she knows something."
Later, during the press conference, Andreeva was also asked not only about her opponent's qualities but also about her nationality. Svitolina is Ukrainian, a country that was invaded by Russia, which is the country that Andreeva represents.
Because of that, Ukrainians don't shake hands with their Russian opponents. That's something that Andreeva experienced in the past, and she explained that she won't approach her match against Svitolina in any other way.
"Of course, it's not easy, but I have played maybe, I don't know, four or five matches against Ukrainian players. And me, I just try not to think about it. I just try to focus on my game, to do my routines, to prepare myself that it's not going to be easy."
"I'm just going to try to prepare for this match as for every other match, and nothing's going to change for me. I'm just going to do my routines and stick to what I have been doing the week before."
