'She doesn't really care': Mirra Andreeva shares reason behind coach Conchita Martinez's decision to snub her Canadian Open second-round clash

Russia’s Mirra Andreeva has revealed that she might have to play her opening fixture at the Canadian Open in Montreal without her coach, Conchita Martinez. The 18-year-old has produced some incredible performances under her current coach and will begin her campaign at the ongoing WTA 1000 event against Canada’s Bianca Andreescu on Tuesday.

Talking ahead of the competition, Andreeva revealed that she might not have her coach, Martinez, sitting in the stands cheering for her during the match against Andreescu because she is going to attend Katy Perry’s upcoming concert. Andreeva revealed that she also wants to go and attend the concert, but her schedule is making it hard for her to do that, as it is happening on the same day when she will have to play her round of 64 clash at the competition.

“I heard that she would perform here like one week before the tournament started, so I got super excited,” Andreeva said about Perry’s upcoming concert. “Then I found out that she's performing on Thursday I think, and that would be the day when I would play a match. So I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to go, but Conchita told me that she's going to go anyway. Either she goes alone or with me. She doesn't really care. I would be super excited to see her live, but we're going to see with scheduling and, yeah, we're going to see if I'm able to go or no.”

Andreeva is coming into the competition as one of the favourites to go all the way and lift the title, especially in the absence of world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who decided not to take part in the mega-event. This year, Andreeva has remained in impressive form throughout and won 37 out of 47 matches she played at the highest level. During that time, she won two competitions as well. Her first title in 2025 was the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in February, where she defeated Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the final. Then in March, Andreeva lifted her second WTA title as she won the Indian Wells competition after beating Sabalenka in the final.

Becoming 'fearless' under Martinez

Andreeva has enjoyed her relationship with her coach, Martinez. She has often praised how Martinez helped her develop and refine her skills on the court. Earlier this year, Andreeva, while talking to the media, stated how Martinez helped her become a better player in every aspect. She also spoke about the fact that Martinez’s guidance has helped her make better decisions on the court.

"With her, I kind of became closer to fearless," said Andreeva in January earlier this year. "For example, before I would never go to play a volley on match point. Here, I decided, 'Why not? I really like our relationship, because, well, I like to joke around. Sometimes I just, you know, I don't really like to be very serious. I always try to smile and laugh. It's just easier like this. Actually I was surprised in the beginning that she's also pretty much like me. And since we first started working together, I have noticed that she's always also trying to say a joke or just laugh sometimes. And I also like that she's still separating those things when we're on court. I would say that I have improved everywhere, but everywhere for a little bit. We improve my serve, we improve my forehand, my backhand. I now also like to step in and finish the point at the net. I'm not afraid to step in the court and to go forward and to try to be even more aggressive. So we have improved everywhere, I would say, because we have been working hard on those elements of my game, so I can see the difference."