Almost a year into their partnership, Mirra Andreeva and coach Conchita Martinez have had great success. In February, the seventeen-year-old became the youngest WTA 1000 champion in Dubai. Now, at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open, the tournament’s ninth seed reflects on how their journey together began.
Martinez may be a familiar name to longtime women’s tennis fans, but for the young Russian, it was just that—a name she recognized rather than a face she could immediately place. Reflecting on their somewhat awkward first encounters, Andreeva admitted to the press at Indian Wells, “I just saw one woman always looking at me, smiling, saying ‘hi.’ I’m like, okay, who is that? Why is she so friendly, why is she saying ‘hi?’” She continued, “Of course, I knew who Conchita Martínez was, but if I would see her just outside on the streets, I wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, that’s Conchita Martinez.’”
Once they were formally introduced, their connection developed effortlessly. Andreeva recalled, “Since the first tournament that we had together, I just felt like I knew her for so long. It felt super natural to be on the court with her and off.”
As their partnership grew, the teenager took a deeper interest in her 52-year-old mentor’s accomplished career, even watching old footage of Martinez’s 1994 Wimbledon triumph. She shared with the media, “When I told her [I watched the final], she got a little bit red. I think she was happy that I watched the final. I watched some more matches of her playing when she lost in the semifinal in some other slam, and she was like, ‘Oh, no, don’t watch that match, no.’ But I did anyway.”
The rising star remains optimistic about their partnership, telling the press, “It’s very special for me to work with her, and I hope there are going to be many years for our relationship.”
Andreeva, who received a first-round bye, is set to face Varvara Gracheva on Friday at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Women’s Tennis Blog