Mirra Andreeva bets Martina Navratilova friendship bracelet after Wimbledon advice

Mirra Andreeva has more on the line than usual ahead of her second-round match at 2025 Wimbledon, betting Martina Navratilova dinner and a friendship bracelet after the nine-time champion gave the teenager a coaching session at the Tennis Channel Live Desk.

A former world No. 1, Navratilova advised Andreeva to shorten her swings and use more slice to take advantage of the low bounces on offer at the All England Club.

“if I lose my next match, it’s your fault!” joked the No. 7 seed Andreeva, who eased through her first match, 6-3, 6-3 against Mayar Sherif.

Andreeva comes to SW19 with former champion Conchita Martinez as her coach. Martinez, who has worked with Andreeva since last spring, famously ended Navratilova’s bid for a 10th Wimbledon title in 1994—a full 13 years before Andreeva was born.

“It was a great match, by the way,” said the 18-year-old, who has since watched the match on YouTube. “She played great and I think she was also, I don’t know if she told me that she was nervous, but probably she was. It was a final.

“No offense,” she adds to Navratilova, “but in the end she played amazing. She had some great passing shots, again no offense.

“None taken,” replied Navratilova. “I kept covering the line and she was going cross court; I couldn’t figure it out!”

Andreeva was in good spirits, having erased memories of her 2024 Wimbledon campaign, which ended in a shock first-round defeat to Brenda Fruhvirtova. Coming off a maiden major semifinal at Roland Garros, Andreeva was unable to convert a 6-1, 3-0 lead, and was determined to reverse last year’s result this summer with better grass-court play.

“I’m not going to tell you everything, but some basics,” she said of Martinez’s pre-Wimbledon advice. “She told me to always stay low, not to get up with my legs and to always to be low. Even when I run for the drop shots or if I’m on defense, I should always stay low with my legs. I feel like it’s working, actually. When I do it, it does work.

“She also told me to use a little bit more slice. I don’t know if that’s just because of the grass or because she used to do a lot of slice. I still need to figure that out. That also works ok. It’s fine, she’s doing ok. That’s all I can tell you for now.”

Andreeva attempted to thank Martinez for the help by gifting her a friendship bracelet, but joked that the former world No. 2 had returned it.

“She told me it’s too small but that’s a really bad excuse,” she said with a laugh. “Maybe she didn’t want a gift from me. Now I’m wearing it and I think it looks cute. Very nice. It’s ok. Her loss!”

Should Andreeva beat Lucia Bronzetti on Thursday, the bracelet may end up on Navratilova’s wrist for future editions of Wimbledon Primetime.