CHINA OPEN

October 4, 2026

Mirra Andreeva

Mixed Zone

M. ANDREEVA/P. Kudermetova

6-4, 6-1

Q. It was very windy. How were you able to overcome that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, it was very hard to play today. I knew that it would be windy because obviously I warmed up in the morning. The conditions were not easy.

I also feel like with such game that Polina has, she hits flat and fast, I feel like wind wouldn't really affect her game. I had to kind of, you know, improvise and come up with whatever stuff I feel like doing on the court.

But yeah, it was not easy. I'm just happy that I was able to be consistent in doing what I have to do in order to play well.

Q. What did you find with your improvisation that you were able to do well that you were able to keep doing over to get you points?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I think today I felt more comfortable being more, like, a little bit further away from the baseline, defending a lot, putting a lot of balls back in the court. I think that's what I've been doing not bad. I feel like that's also what she had trouble with.

I knew no matter what I would just have to, like, run for every ball and put as many balls back in the court as I can. I don't know, however I want to put them, slice, I don't know, dropshots. Whatever worked.

That's kind of the tactics that I had for today.

Q. Compared to few years ago when everything was new for you, which kind of motivation you arrive to playing the end of the season this year?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Honestly for me, it's a little bit harder to play in the end of the season 'cause my hometown is just three hours away, straight flight. My family's there. They're calling me, making jokes, You're not far away.

It's kind of making it a little bit harder because I know that I'm far but at the same time I'm not far away from home.

I don't know. Just kind of trying to find motivation for these last few tournaments of the season, last push. Hoping to play in Indian Wells. Yeah, just trying to find that last bit of motivation for myself.

Q. When is the last time you have been at home?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: I've been at home one year ago for one week to see my grandparents and then I left.

Q. Many players have some prematch routines or superstitions they have to do before every match. Do you have something like that to help you disconnect and get in the zone?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Before I used to have many. I was a little bit crazy with that, I might have to be honest. But now I feel like, I don't know, I'm pretty easy with that stuff.

Before the matches, me and Conchita, we try to play one or two games of Uno to relax, to kind of switch off my mind. After that, I don't know, I just do whatever I feel like, I guess.

Q. When you're serving sometimes, definitely when you're in the zone, you go up to the line to serve really quickly in between points. Curious why you think that is.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Honestly, me and Conchita were talking about it. I think this is one of the first tournaments where I for some reason started doing that. I also saw whenever I come to the baseline, there's 22 seconds left. I'm like, Okay, that was fast. My opponent is ready. I'm, like, ready, too.

I feel like today me and Polina, we didn't take much time between the points. I don't know. I felt like I was kind of just in the rhythm of, I don't know, doing that, going fast. That's it.

I didn't feel that I needed more time. I guess that's why I just went with it.

Q. You have so many fans in China. They cheer for you. Is there anything you want to say to them?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: All I want to say is, of course, huge thank you for the support because I know, for example, today, as I said in my on-court interview, the weather was not the best. Windy, cold. There were still so many people watching the match.

For me just means a lot that no matter when or against who I play, there are always so many people supporting me. Just want to say huge thanks for the support.

Q. This year you have champion of the Roland Garros. I saw the words: I want to thank myself. Can you tell me the meaning of that?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: The meaning of why I'm saying, I want to thank myself?

Q. Yes.

MIRRA ANDREEVA: It goes back to a very long time ago. In 2022, we were just joking around with the coach that I used to have back then. He showed me a video of Snoop Dog that was saying this in one of his speeches. I just kind of said it as a joke after I won my 60K in Israel, I remember. I said it on my speech after I won. Since then I did it every time I won the tournament. That's how I guess it became a little trademark.

Q. What is the coach's name?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: It was actually the coach of Coco Gauff.

Q. The way that you talk about your tennis, the way you play your tennis, you read the opponent and adjust accordingly. Do you play chess? What is your relationship with chess?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: It's actually an interesting question because I used to play chess when I was younger, but then I stopped because I practiced a lot, I have my school. I used to learn how to play chess when I was in kindergarten. I just did it for a little bit.

After this year actually in Paris, I saw my fitness coach playing chess online every time before my match. I just wanted to remember, wanted to learn again. So I guess starting, what, May, Roland Garros was in May, or June, May and June, that time I started playing chess again.

To this day I play every day in Duo Lingo.

Q. Are you playing online against strangers or against the computer?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: So I still am learning a lot of different tactics, different moves in Duo Lingo. I have another app where I play online against strangers.

Q. Somebody could be playing the Roland Garros champion in chess and not know it?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: Exactly, yes. My nickname is very different. You would never guess what it is.

Q. Would you tell?

MIRRA ANDREEVA: No. It's going to say a secret. If I tell, I'm going to be embarrassed if you know it.