NATIONAL BANK OPEN

August 5, 2026

Mirra Andreeva

Press Conference

M. ANDREEVA/K. Pliskova

6-0, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started. Mirra, congratulations. First win of the week here in Toronto. Just give us your thoughts on the match. It seemed like a very dominant performance today.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I'm very happy with the way I'm playing today. I think she's a tough opponent to have on your first match in a new city. So I'm just super happy with the way I played today, and extremely excited to advance to the next round.

THE MODERATOR: First question?

Q. With so much time after Wimbledon until now, were you super eager to play and anxious to play, or were you enjoying that gap in between?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I think that time off was very much needed. I just wanted to switch off from tennis completely and just have some time off. I didn't play tennis for almost a week, so that was just nice mentally to forget about everything.

I was actually very excited to start playing because I was kind of tired of practicing already. So, yeah, I was super excited to start the tournament here.

Q. If Leylah Fernandez wins her match tonight, she's going to be your opponent in the third round. Most recently you faced her in Madrid. What are your thoughts on this potential matchup if it comes to that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, if I play Leylah, for sure it's going to be tough. I mean, starting with that she's playing at home, so obviously the crowd is going to support her.

At the same time, she's an amazing player. The last time we played against each other it was a very tough match.

So we will see who wins tonight. But if she does, I'm sure that it's going to be a very entertaining match for people, and super tough match for both of us.

Yeah, I just hope that, you know, if she does win, me and Conchita will prepare our best for the match.

Q. You just alluded to just being a little bit burned out, just because you played a lot of tennis during the clay season. Do you feel like going into the grass that you were quite ready to compete? I know you obviously had to, but do you feel like you were ready, like fully, to compete at Bad Homburg and Wimbledon?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I mean, I would say if it was up to me I would take a little bit more time. But that was obviously not the best decision because I also had to try and prepare my best for the grass season. But it is what it is.

I'm always excited to play tournaments. Even if I had not a lot of time off after Paris, I was still excited to come to grass. Because even though my relationship with grass is like on and off, I still like to come to London, to Germany, to play tournaments. So I wouldn't change anything.

Q. The WTA recently said that they're going to do the one-time gender test with players. So I wonder what your thoughts are on it and how the tour has perhaps prepared you for what's to come.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, well, as of now my focus is on playing my best on every tournament that I have. So, Toronto, Cincinnati, New York, every single tournament that I have to play. I'm completely okay with, you know, every rule that the WTA applies, and I will follow that.

Q. Looking ahead, you obviously just mentioned the US Open. It maybe hasn't been your best performing slam. Can you speak to maybe, is it the conditions that maybe don't suit your game as well, or do you feel like it's just, like it will come this year maybe?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I mean, I want to hope that it will come. One year it has to come.

But, yeah, for some reason, US Open was one of those slams, is still one of those slams where I still cannot quite, I think third round is my best result there. So, I mean it's not the best.

I love playing in New York. But, yeah, so far it hasn't been the greatest. But I just hope that this year or, I don't know, in the future it's just going to come, and hopefully I will play better at that slam.

Q. First time in Toronto. Just wondering what is standing out so far, and is there anything in particular you want to do when you come to a new city?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, when I come to a new city I always want to try to explore a little bit more, just to understand the culture, the city a little bit more as well.

I haven't been to the downtown because it's pretty far away from where we live.

But I have been to the Unionville, that little street with restaurants, with ice cream places. That was very nice.

It's like, we were going there by car, it was like in the movies, you know, so many beautiful houses, a lot of nice little restaurants. We always go for a couple of frozen yogurts with Conchita, so it was just very nice. That's what stands out for me so far in Toronto.

Q. In Roland Garros you had your credential lanyard with all the pins. Where is it now?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Oh, it's at home. I didn't frame it or anything as I wanted to, but it's just in my closet on the top shelf. I just put it there, so it's like always there that I can always see it.