PORSCHE TENNIS GRAND PRIX

April 15, 2026

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/J. Ostapenko

5-7, 6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Mirra, congrats on the win. You really toughed that one out. How does it feel to get this under your belt against Jelena?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yes, this match was tough today. She's a very tough opponent to face, especially in the first round. Yeah, the match was tricky. I felt like I obviously didn't play as good as I wanted, but just super happy with the win and happy to advance further.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You played three tough sets also on Sunday in the final. Then you came here. You probably had, like, one full day of rest, I guess, and then you started again. How do you feel physically? Were you ready for more, like today, so how was it approaching to this match?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I didn't have a day off, so I just kept on practicing, because I'm not that kind of a person that likes to take a day off when I have my match in two days.

So when I arrived here to Stuttgart, I just, you know, played easy for one hour just to don't lose the feeling of the ball. But, yeah, I mean, I obviously was a little bit tired, but we did everything that we could with the physios as well that helped me to recover a bit better.

Yeah, I mean, I guess I still have a little bit of advantage sometimes that I maybe recover a little bit faster because I'm still pretty young. Honestly, I didn't feel very tired today on the court.

Q. Well done today and well done in Linz. In Linz, I believe it was the first time it was indoor clay court, and obviously you're playing indoor clay here. Obviously it's both indoors. Were there any differences that you felt, like, playing on the surface today, or was it kind of like the exact same?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I can say here the court is a little bit faster, and I feel like the ball also doesn't bounce as high as it bounced in Linz. I would say it's a little bit more slippery here, but, you know, those are just little things that I have noticed, and they obviously, I don't think they make a lot of difference.

You know, even if I notice them, I just have to know how to adjust my game to it and how to be able to play better on this surface.

Q. How different is it to approach a match against Jelena? Because she gives you not much rhythm. Do you prepare different when you play a match against her than to someone else?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, you know, I can say that she's not the first player that doesn't really give rhythm. I would say that she actually had some kind of rhythm today on the court.

But yeah, as I said, she's a very tough opponent to play against, because, you know, she just hits the ball very hard, and sometimes you just have to accept that at some moments you just cannot do anything, and you just have to accept that maybe she's gonna be, like, on a roll and hitting winners, winners.

I felt when she was 6-5 up in the first set, and then she see I was 40-Love up on my serve, and then she hit like five winners in a row and she ended up taking the first set. I'm, like, well, it kind of hurt that I lost the game from 40-Love, but what could I do here? She just hits five winners, and sometimes you just have to accept those things and move on and try to fight and try to find very small opportunities that can bring you back to the match.

Q. Now, in Stuttgart, is also your coach Conchita here. In Linz, she wasn't there. Do you feel better when Conchita is here, or it doesn't matter?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, honestly, if I would have lost today, I would have said that she's not gonna come to any of my tournaments anymore, but of course it's a joke. I mean, when she's there, I feel like I can really rely on her in some moments and see what she can tell me.

Today, as well, you know, I mean, I'm not gonna hide it. Everyone knows I was struggling a little bit with my serve. Quite a lot of double faults. But I hope that I manage to get it even with the amount of aces that I also hit today.

But, you know, in some moments when it was important for me to serve, I obviously look at her and she gives me some tips, and I feel like at some important moments it really helps. You know, she can also give me some advice on how to play or what to change or fix.

Obviously it's better when someone tells you something when you're just all by yourself.

Q. Your next opponent, Alycia Parks, do you know her? And if you played her, have you any special memories from her?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah. I have only played her once, in New York last year, and she's also a very tough opponent to play against, because yeah, she also hits the ball very hard. She has a great serve.

I feel like today maybe was also some kind of a preparation for the match tomorrow, because both of my opponents were hitting pretty hard today.

Yeah, I feel like if I'm able to just keep fighting and, you know, play my game whenever I can and try to just force her into points and just, you know, do my thing on the court, we'll see how it's gonna go, but I think I should be, you know, be able to put a fight tomorrow on the court, and I don't think it will be easy for both of us.

Q. This is more of a random question, but I have been asking some of the players about it. It's about tournament music and DJs, not specific to Stuttgart but just generally on tour. In between sets and changeovers, the DJ will play music. What's your preferred type of music? Do you find certain tournaments overplay certain songs? What are your thoughts on that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, honestly I never really thought about it, never focused on that topic, but I like when DJs obviously play some energy songs when, you know, it's not just something that has just one melody and you feel like you're in a changeover, it's like 5-4 in the third set, and you're, like, you're just sitting there and waiting for the changeover to be over.

But, yeah, I think a lot of players like the energy, energizing music on the court. I feel like today was good, but I don't really focus on that a lot.

Q. Maybe you can give us a little bit insight on your thoughts about Germany. Do you recognize anything special compared to other countries? Do you speak a little bit German, whatever? What do you connect with Germans? Maybe cars or good football teams, whatever?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, as I said in Austria, I spent a lot of time when I was young in Austria and Germany, because I feel like, for some reason, these two countries had, you know, the better tournaments, better organized, and also, like, higher categories.

So I've played a lot of junior tournaments in Germany and Austria. And we also have a family that lives in Germany. So I feel somewhat connected to this country, but, you know, I never really spent a lot of time here.

All I know is tschuss, dankeschon and bitteschon. That's it. I can maybe count a little bit. But, yeah, that's it for me.

Q. (Off mic.)

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I know that you also, guys, when it goes from 20, you zweiundzwanzig, so the second number goes in front. That's what my cousin told me. So I hope I didn't mess it up. I hope it's still like this. That's all I know (smiling).

Q. You played also this year doubles with Victoria Mboko. Can you maybe tell us if further cooperation is planned, for example, for the clay season, maybe from Roland Garros? I don't know if you told already how was the idea come together to play together?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, well, I texted her, and at first she told me that she was set. I don't remember where I texted her first, and she was set already for that tournament. I was, like, Okay. We'll play next time.

I asked her again for Indian Wells and Miami. She said, I'm set for Indian Wells, but we can play Miami though.

I'm, like, How long before the tournament should I ask you for you to be free so we can play together?

And then I don't know whatever happened, and maybe she messed some things up, and she said, Oh, sorry, I'm not set for both of these tournaments.

I think maybe she messed up the tournaments or the dates. Yeah, I just asked her, and that's how we played together.

But for clay tournaments, Madrid and Rome, I'm playing with Diana. Yeah, that's our old, kind of old collaboration. We both know each other very well.

Yeah, we'll see who I'm gonna play doubles with on the further tournaments, but it's not like I'm obliged to play with one or the other player. I'm just choosing with whoever I'm comfortable with and with whoever I will have fun on the court.

Q. Just a question about if there is any kind of player game style more better that you like to play, like to face. If somebody who is maybe fast and extreme like Ostapenko or somebody who try to build up the point and gives you a longer rally, for example.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I'm not going to open all of my cards right here, but I do have more interest and more adrenaline when someone plays, you know, when someone builds the point, when the points are long, when someone plays, like, chooses the right decisions.

Maybe, I don't know why, but when I play against Emma Navarro, it's always like, I don't really think about the score. I just so much into the point and so much into the game that what happened in London, I just forgot that I won already and I forgot the score, because, I don't know, it was just interesting for me to play and to see how the points are going.

So I, yeah, have more adrenaline when I play against those kind of players that take their time and really build the point, rather than players like Jelena today, which are also very tough to play against, but yeah, I like to play someone who is just, like, building the point a little bit more.