Mirra Andreeva has started her WTA Finals career with a clean win, beating Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in Indian Wells, according to Yahoo Tennis. The match lasted 70 minutes, and the 19-year-old took the final seven games, a stretch that turned a tight opening set into a one-sided second.
The result also came with an admission. Andreeva told Tennis Channel that her nerves before the match were at roughly the same level as the Roland Garros final, which she won against Maja Chwalinska. She said her legs felt unsteady and her arm shook during her serve motion. Svitolina had beaten her earlier this year in Australia, which made the draw a tough start.
Her answer to the nerves is a deliberate routine. Andreeva said she works with a psychologist, runs a fitness warm-up and a mental warm-up, and before every match she watches the Federer-Nadal 2017 Australian Open final. She says she knows almost every point of it. The routine, she said, is meant to help her look and feel effortless on court.
The next test is Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Karolina Muchova 7-6(7-2), 7-5 in her opening match. Andreeva trails their head-to-head 2-4, though she beat Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open quarterfinal after coming from a set down. She has also quoted Billie Jean King, saying pressure is a privilege and that she plans to use her nerves as an advantage.
For Andreeva, the group stage is now about keeping that composure while the matches get harder. The routine she described is only useful if the nerves stay manageable against Sabalenka.
