Andreeva explains with what type of rival she prefers to play: "I find it more interesting"

Fernando Murciego | 16 Apr 2026 | 11.00

Andreeva explains what type of opponent she prefers to play against: "It's more interesting for me." Source: Getty

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After raising some doubts in recent months, the name of Mirra Andreeva is once again making headlines after stringing together five consecutive victories at the beginning of the clay court season.

Specifically, the four she embraced in Linz to lift the title and the first one she secured yesterday at the WTA 500 in Stuttgart against Jelena Ostapenko. The latter was a tough match, where the Russian had no choice but to hold onto the court to turn around an adverse score. Now that this initial scare is behind her, Mirra Andreeva aims to go for her second consecutive trophy on this tour, although she still has many steps to take. These were her words in the post-match press conference.

Victory against Ostapenko

"Today was a tough match, a very tough opponent to face, especially in a first-round encounter. It was a difficult match to navigate; obviously, I couldn’t play as well as I wanted, but I am super happy with the win and progressing further in the draw."

From Linz to Stuttgart, non-stop

"I haven't had a day off since then, so I kept practicing. I'm not the type of person who likes to take a day off when I have a match in two days. When I arrived in Stuttgart, I just practiced for an hour to not lose that ball feeling. I was a bit tired, but the physiotherapists did what they could to help me recover better. I guess I still have some advantage being a bit younger than the others; in fact, today on the court, I didn't feel tired at all anymore."

Slight changes in conditions

"I can say that here the court is a bit faster; I feel the ball doesn't bounce as much as it did in Linz. Additionally, it's a bit more slippery here, but these are just minor details. I don't think there are significant differences either. Even when I notice these differences, I just have to adjust them in my game to perform better on this surface."

Conchita was not in Linz, but she's here

"If I had lost today, I would have told her not to come to any of my tournaments anymore (laughs). When she is with me, I feel like I can really trust her for some moments, seeing what she can tell me. Today she helped me a lot; I'm not going to deny it. Everyone saw that I was struggling a bit with my serve. I made quite a few double faults, but I was able to pull through thanks to the number of aces I also hit. In some crucial service points, obviously, I tend to look at her for advice. She can also give me advice on how to play or how to fix things now, so it's much better when I have her here."

Mirra Andreeva at the Stuttgart tournament. Source: Getty

Alycia Parks in the round of 16

"I have only played against her once, in New York, last year. She is also a great opponent, someone tough to face because she hits the ball very hard, besides having a great serve. I feel that, in a way, today's match will serve me for tomorrow's match because both tend to hit the ball that hard. If I can keep fighting and play my game, improving each time, I will end up forcing her to earn points while I continue doing my thing on the court. Tomorrow my intention is to engage in that fight again, it won't be easy for either of us."

Mirra Andreeva reveals her preferred type of opponent

"I won't reveal all my cards here, but I have more interest and adrenaline when I play against someone who constructs the point, when the points are long, someone who makes the right decisions. I don't know why, but when I play against Emma Navarro, for example, I don't really think about the result. I'm so immersed in the point and the game that I forget about the score, but I always find it super interesting. That's why I have more adrenaline with those players who take their time, instead of opponents like Jelena (Ostapenko), who are also very difficult to face, but I prefer playing against people who construct the point more."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Andreeva explica con qué tipo de rival prefiere jugar: “Me resulta más interesante”