“Mirra Andreeva in search of redemption in Rome after setback in Madrid.”

Mirra Andreeva is set to shine in Rome: the young Russian aims to put her heavy defeat in Madrid behind her and emulate Nadal’s mentality in the fight for the title.

After a tough and emotional final against Marta Kostyuk at the Madrid Open, Mirra Andreeva is back on the courts with a single goal: to conquer Rome and prove that she is one of the biggest prospects in world tennis. The Russian, seeded 8th in the Italian tournament, wants to surpass her performance from 2023, where she reached the quarter-finals, and will begin her campaign against Croatian Antonia Ruzic in a match scheduled for the coming days.

The year 2024 has been a true revolution for this young 19-year-old, who already boasts an impressive record of 26 wins and 8 losses this season, particularly excelling on clay with 12 victories in 14 matches. Among her most notable achievements are winning the title in Linz, reaching the semifinals in Stuttgart, and making it to the final in Madrid, making her the player with the most wins during this part of the season on clay. In Rome, Andreeva is one of the main contenders for the title and promises to give her all to lift trophies.

However, the setback in Madrid left its mark. Despite arriving as the favorite for the final, with two WTA 1000 titles under her belt, the young Russian was dominated in straight sets by Kostyuk, who controlled the decisive moments, leaving Andreeva visibly emotional and in tears during the trophy ceremony. Before the final, however, the Russian had a very positive few weeks, eliminating heavyweights like Leylah Fernandez and Hailey Baptiste, and even returned to doubles alongside Diana Shnaider, reaching the final in a format she hadn’t played since last year’s WTA Finals. Still, the duo ended up losing to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

Upon arriving in Rome, Andreeva did not hide her satisfaction with the past few weeks, but also her desire to turn the page quickly. “It was two very good weeks in Madrid, in singles and doubles. Two finals. I think there are many positive aspects to take away from those weeks,” the player stated.

Inspired by Rafael Nadal’s philosophy, Andreeva wants to forget the past and focus on the present

The young Russian revealed at the press conference that she does not intend to dwell on the defeat in Madrid and that her focus is entirely on the tournament in Rome. “Now Madrid is in the past, we have to forget what happened and concentrate all our energy on playing well here in Rome,” she asserted.

Andreeva even joked about recalling Rafael Nadal’s iconic press conference in Rome in 2019, when the Spaniard spoke about the defeats he suffered in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Madrid before winning in Rome and Roland Garros that same year. “What happened in Monte Carlo happened, what happened in Barcelona happened, and what happened in Madrid happened, so here we are in Rome,” Nadal said at the time.

“Well, as Rafa said, what happened in Madrid happened,” Andreeva replied, smiling. “I watched that video this morning and I’m trying to adopt that mindset to face each new tournament after a result that wasn’t what I wanted. I’m going to try to maintain that attitude.”

Tactics and ambition: Andreeva’s plan to succeed in Rome

Confident in her clay court game, where she has already defeated names like Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, and four-time Roland Garros winner Iga Swiatek, Andreeva aims to quickly adapt to the conditions in Rome to continue her impressive run of results. “It has been three consecutive weeks playing finals on clay, I won one tournament and lost another. I consider it an incredible start to the clay season,” analyzed the world number 7, despite admitting that her ambition is always greater. “Of course, I’m not completely satisfied because in every tournament I enter, I want to win.”

For her first challenge in Rome, Andreeva will face Croatian Antonia Ruzic, who has already eliminated Kamila Rakhimova in three sets in the opening round. “I have never played against Ruzic, but I watched some of her points in Australia. I have a general idea of how she plays,” said the Russian, who is working with coach Conchita Martínez to define the ideal strategy. “Together, we develop the game plan, which usually takes about 15 minutes. She likes to know if I am familiar with the opponent’s style, and then we adjust the plan based on statistics and her notes.”

Mirra Andreeva shows that she is ready to put aside the disappointment of her loss in Madrid and embrace the winning mentality of great champions. With talent, determination, and an unwavering focus, the young Russian promises to be one of the players to watch closely at the Rome Masters 1000. If she can maintain the consistency she has shown on clay, we may be witnessing the emergence of a new star in world tennis. The competition is on, and Andreeva is ready for battle!

This article first appeared on Apito Final.