ROLAND GARROS

June 2, 2025

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/D. Kasatkina

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Mirra, congratulations. Into the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Just give us your thoughts on your performance today against your friend Dasha.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, of course I'm super happy to win the match today. I knew that this match would be tough. Last time we played against each other I lost in three sets, and it was a pretty dramatic match.

I was prepared for the battle, and I'm super happy to advance to the quarters.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Obviously with Dasha, you both have a lot of variety so it gets very tactical. How challenging is that trying to outthink her in the match?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, honestly I knew that today we would have a lot of long points, and I felt like she reads where I'm going to play. She knew when I'm gonna hit a dropshot, which side, and we had a lot of long points, and I felt like I was running from corner to corner a lot.

You know, of course it's not a nice feeling, but yeah, this match was very intense. We had a lot of variety through the points throughout the whole match, so I'm, again, happy that I managed to keep playing the game and win the match in the end.

Q. A couple of those long points you referenced were pretty miraculous. You were getting to those balls, and you managed to turn them in your favor. Does that give you a little bit of extra satisfaction that you were able to dig in and win those sort of points?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah. Of course it gives me also a lot of confidence to know that I'm able to get to those points and put a lot of balls back in the court and I'm able to start the point again. And I feel like even after running for so long, I'm able to generate more power if I need to.

If I have a ball to attack, I feel like I'm still able to prepare and hit the ball good, not just, you know, put it back again. Yeah, I guess thanks to my fitness coach that he always puts in a lot of work. Yeah, again, I feel that even after long points, I'm able to, you know, start the point again and win it.

Q. There was a run of four, five games that she won on a trot, and you even saved a set point in that. What was going through your head in those as she came back into the match and won all those points?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, as I was leading 3-1, and she won four games in a row, and she started to be up 5-3 in the score, so I just kept telling myself to fight and to try to play my best every point. And I felt like she raised her level as well in the second set, but I felt like I was also playing a bit more passive compared to the first set, so she used it and she started, you know, putting a lot of balls with more aggression.

So I just told myself to keep fighting. Yeah, on that set point, I don't know, I went to the net. I don't know what I was doing. I would never go to the net on a set point. So I guess, you know, with this adrenaline, I just did something.

I don't know. I don't even know how to explain it. So I'm just happy that I managed to, you know, close the match in two sets.

Q. There was a nice moment in the latter stages of the match in which you hit a forehand drop shot that was not the best, but you still won the point, and then you pointed at your head to the box. I want to ask about the connection with your box and especially Conchita during the matches. How does your dialogue work? Is it only encouragement? Or technical, tactical stuff? Is it only good energy but also tactical stuff, stuff like that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Mostly, of course, they support a lot, and they try to give a lot of energy and pump me up, but of course, when Conchita feels like she needs to say something tactical or technical, as well, she's always going to say what she feels like saying.

That's also what I like, that she doesn't just, you know, support me, but sometimes when she feels like I need to hear something tactical or technical, she's gonna say it. I feel like as soon as she says something, of course, I try to listen and to do it on the court.

Q. When you made the step up from being a great junior to then playing the main tour, what were the things that struck you the most about playing the best players? Was it the physicality? Was it something mental? I guess how did you go about bridging that gap?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I would say that obviously I think I have improved physically. I think I am much stronger than I was two years ago. Also, I feel like I think in a different way compared to, again, maybe two years ago.

I'm much more positive right now on the court, and I think that also is one of the keys for me. And yeah, I'm always trying to now always fight for every point no matter what happens. I think that for me, the most important two points that changed is I improved physically and also mentally.

Q. You're quite friendly with Dasha. I mean, you're a pretty friendly person. These last couple of years you probably made a fair amount of friends on the tour. How has it been, your adjustment to becoming opponents to them when you're on the court and balancing that out? Does having a sister who you have been competing against for a long time, does that play any role in it, in sort of getting you ready for that preparation?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, for me, it's completely different matches when I play against a friend or when I play against my sister, because first of all, when I play against Erika, I am ten times more nervous. I think she is, as well.

Those are completely different matches. So when I first played against Dasha, it was much more difficult for me to, you know, stay focused and not to be nice on the court. But, for example, compared to the last match we played against each other, today I just knew that, of course, she's gonna want to beat me on the court.

I don't know what changed, but today was not that hard to, you know, kind of change my mindset and step on court and kind of be opponents. I don't know how, but I managed to kind of tell myself that I'm playing against the ball, not against the opponent.

I just tried to focus on the ball that I have to hit, and I was able to keep this focus throughout the whole match, so I'm proud of myself for being able to do so.

Q. Why does playing your sister make you so nervous?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I would say the first thing is because she knows me probably better than anyone. She knows all my sacred secrets (smiling). She knows everything that's going on in my life, and so do I, I hope.

She knows how I'm going to play. She knows exactly which shot I'm going to do, because obviously we talk. Maybe now it's better to, you know, not talk a lot about tennis, because if you want to compete against each other, I think that maybe it's better to kind of talk about anything else but tennis.

I know what she's gonna do on court. We have been practicing together since I was 10 years old. So I know exactly at which moment she's going to do a dropshot. I know exactly at which moment she's going to hit hard. She knows it, as well.

That's what makes it hard, because we know that we know each other, and we try and create something new on court, and then everything goes completely, you know, down the hill, because we don't play like this.

So it's super complicated. If I'm going to start to explain it all, it's going to take ten minutes so we're just gonna stop here.

Q. This relationship with Dasha, you won the match today and a trophy with the wristband. Can you talk about this entertaining moment? And Dasha's fair play also on tour in general.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, she's a great person and a great player. I kind of had a feeling that after the match she's gonna do something like this, and I knew that if I would lose, I would also, you know, do something funny to kind of, yeah, a bit kind of relaxed atmosphere. And to also not to have this tension and pressure around us.

So when I won the match, I knew she's gonna do something like this, and when she threw her wristband at me, it was funny. I think it was a nice gesture also from her.

But after that, we just exchanged kind words, and she told me congrats. Of course I said it was a good match. After that, I kept the wristband, so it's gonna be in my bag for now (smiling).

Q. A question about Conchita. What has she brought to your game, especially on clay? What has improved about your game on clay?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I think first that she brought to my game, it's a lot of positive. If we talk about tactical and maybe technical stuff, she just kind of teaches me how to build the point. If we talk about clay, how to build the point and expect that the point probably is going to be longer than on a hard court. If needed, how to start the point again one, two, or three times.

Not going to tell you exactly what she tells me. I'm going to keep it to myself. But overall, it's just little things like this.