BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 4, 2026

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Mirra, welcome back. How does it feel to be at Indian Wells this time as defending champion?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, it feels amazing to be back to this place. I have amazing memories from last year, so I'll just try to do my best to create new ones this year.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. After that great breakthrough in Dubai and Indian Wells, can you talk about some of the challenges you have had navigating your way back to that level?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I think that probably I didn't lose that level. I was just kind of struggling to play and use that level all the tournaments that I played. So it was kind of a little bit on and off, which was also a new experience for me.

But now if that happens again, I know how to deal with it and I know what to do. I wouldn't say that I lost the level that I was playing. I was just kind of not using it every time that I would play the tournaments.

Q. In one of the Middle East tournaments, one of people's favorite matches was the one you played against Victoria Mboko. I saw you were practicing with her today. What is it like having someone like that that, I don't want to say rivalry, but it seems like someone that you can play with, practice with? Does that help you elevate your level? What is it like having almost a friend like that on tour?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, of course it's very nice to have someone to share all the different emotions and all different moments on tour.

Obviously I have known her for a very long time since we played juniors together. You know, it's very nice to be on tour together, to now, as you said, have like that little rivalry going on, and, you know, we are good friends off the court. I mean, on the court, as well.

It's just nice to have someone that, you know, can share the same emotions, same feelings as you. Yeah, it's just good to have a good friend on tour.

Q. Last year when you were here, we talked a lot about your relationship with Conchita Martinez, and there was a lot of excitement. I'm wondering now, a year later, how that relationship has matured and evolved?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I don't know if we matured (smiling). I think it's all pretty much the same. I wouldn't say something changed, so we still have a lot of fun. We still, on the court, we still work a lot and we know when it's time to maybe stop having fun and really get into work.

Other than that, I think our relationship is still the same.

Q. Last year you said you were going to get an ultra-mini Goldendoodle. You sized up a little bit.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: (Laughter.) Yeah, that's true. My puppy was supposed to be ultra mini. We can for sure all agree that she's not ultra mini. Maybe for now she can be mini, but we're hoping that mini will stay and she's not just gonna become a Labradoodle.

Yeah, she's one year old. I hope that she's going to stop growing and she's going to stay the size that she is now, because otherwise it's going to be very difficult to travel with her.

Yeah, we are just praying that she's just not going to grow anymore and she's just going to stay like this.

Q. Sticking with that a little bit, now you have a dog on tour, you're still young, still a teen, you know, living the pro-tennis life. Is it important to you to have things that you would maybe have if you weren't a pro athlete, just so you could have almost like a regular life?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I mean, I think it's pretty complicated to have a regular life when you travel all year long to different countries, but, you know, the best I can do is to try to bring my family with me on the tournaments. Now also we can try to bring our puppy, as well, and it's the first time that I traveled to the tournament with a dog, so it's also a new experience for me how to not to just focus on myself but also take care of another little creature that just follows me around everywhere.

So it's also something new to me, so, you know, the best I can do is to just have the family around me almost all of the time, and that's what helps the most for me.

Q. As players get older, they talk about not focusing on defending points, what's really important is the future. As somebody who is so young, how hard is it not to think about it?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, honestly I thought that I would think about that a lot. I was worried about defending points in Dubai since Roland Garros. So, you know, I was thinking about that a lot, but then actually when I came to Dubai, the only thing I felt is excitement of being there again, of feeling new emotions as being on the tournament as a defending champion.

So again, it was all new to me, but I didn't feel the pressure for some reason as I thought I would. And here is the same thing. I'm just so excited to be here as a defending champion, see my photos almost everywhere in every corner.

It's just nice to be here again, and now I don't feel any pressure on defending points.