Mirra Andreeva hails impact of Conchita Martinez ahead of Brisbane rematch with Aryna Sabalenka

In the early days of 2025, Mirra Andreeva says she's smiling more—and that's thanks to the International Tennis Hall of Famer who's only been her coach for less than a year. Through to the semifinals of the WTA 500 Brisbane International to start her season, the 17-year-old says that Conchita Martinez's "positivity" is chief among the lessons she's already learned from the former Wimbledon champion.

"Well, I think I'm known, I'm the person who would think negative most of the time. Even last year in the beginning of the year. Now I'm noticing that it was not right, the way I was thinking, the way I was approaching the matches, what kind of thoughts I have during the match as well," Andreeva said this week, where she's beaten Anna Blinkova, Linda Noskova and Ons Jabeur without losing a set.

"When we started working together, she definitely brought up some positive. Now when I miss, for example one year ago, Oh, my God, I cannot play tennis, why am I doing this? If I compare myself to this day, I would say, Well, it's okay. It was a good miss. We just keep working. For example this is the difference."

SInce her 2023 WTA breakthrough, where she was named the tour's most impressive newcomer, Andreeva has continued on a steady upward trajectory to her current perch of world No. 16, and last year became the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist in nearly three decades when she reached the last four at Roland Garros.

Bith her 18th birthday looming in April, the removal of age restrictions around how many tournaments she can play along with it, and Martinez's guidance, all signs are pointing towards even greater things for the prodigious young talent over the next 12 months.

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"I would say in the beginning of last year I was not as ready mentally for those big matches or, I don't know, the tight moments in important matches," Andreeva said. "I would say that closer to the end of the year I felt like I'm ready for it. Now I feel even more ready. I guess that's a good thing."

"I definitely feel more mature because if we compare my game to the final of Australian Open juniors [two years ago] and now, I would say that I'm more aggressive, I'm more positive, I'm calm, and I don't make as many stupid mistakes as I would," she continued. "I guess I'm improving day by day for a little bit. I'm just happy that I can see the difference between those matches. Yes, I'm just happy with the way I play right now."

It hasn't always been smooth—after Roland Garros, she lost in the first round of Wimbledon and the second at the US Open, and let her emotions get the best of her in a runner-up effort to Daria Kasatkina in Ningbo at her year's final tournament—but Martinez's presence has continued to keep Andreeva grounded.

"I would say that I'm still a kid sometimes," Andreeva confessed. "I can get angry. If you said something that I didn't like, I'm like, OK, well, I'm going to do something that she doesn't like as well. I try to piss her off.

"She's like, 'Oh, my God, what are you doing?' We start laughing about it and we forget about all of that. I just can be a little pain in the ass sometimes. But she's doing good job so far."

With all that said, a first-ever win against a reigning world No. 1 would be a strong statement of intent for Andreeva's plans in the new year.

Standing between the teenager and a spot in the final is a first-ever hard-court meeting against Aryna Sabalenka. Their first three matches came on clay, with Sabalenka winning in 2023 and 2024 in Madrid, before Andreeva famously turned the tables to win a three-set stunner in the quarterfinals in Paris last spring.