"I liked Safin's rebellious demeanor": tennis player Andreeva about idols, family support and the strength of Sharapova

"Not everyone can cope with moral pressure"

- What were your feelings after reaching the final of the junior Roland Garros?

- Immediately after the semifinals, I only thought that I managed to win such a tough meeting, pull out three match points.

Therefore, I just felt the joy of winning, like at any other tournament.

And only after a while everyone began to write to me, congratulate me on reaching the final, and even then I realized what had happened.

- Were you worried going to court in the decisive match?

- I was lucky to have played three of the six matches at Roland Garros on one of the largest junior courts.

But I was especially worried when, going to the final, I saw the presenter announcing us and a large number of spectators.

Then I got nervous, but as soon as the meeting began, this feeling went away, only concentration on the game remained.

- Were there among the audience those who personally supported you?

- Yes, and quite a few, including French tennis fans.

But the Russians were there too, I heard shouts: “Come on!

Come on. "

Although I did not see Russian flags at that moment.

Fortunately, this match took place during the day, and the audience did not have to leave the stadium due to the curfew.

- What goals did you set before the start of Roland Garros?

- Like all tournaments before, I went to win, we worked hard and prepared for this.

Therefore, it came as no surprise to me that I went so far along the tournament bracket.

- In this regard, what emotions from the tournament?

Joy from reaching the finals, or is it bitterness that one step was not enough to reach the title?

- Immediately after the match, I was very upset and disappointed, as I realized that I had missed the opportunity to win the trophy.

And only then, an hour later, when everyone began to write and support, a feeling of joy came over.

- Who congratulated you in the first place?

- Of course, my family, parents and many relatives.

This was very important for me, since it is their support and opinion that matters most to me.

- Did your parents come to Paris with you?

- Not.

Due to the restrictions, it was possible to take only one team member, so only my coach Kirill Kryukov was with me.

But they rarely travel with me to competitions, so I would not say that it was hard for me because of their absence.

- For you, this is only the second tournament after the

Australian

Open - 2020, where the best tennis players of the world played in parallel with the juniors.

Have you crossed paths with any of them?

- I would not say that the tournament was remembered for its unusual situations.

Although it was fun to watch Sloane Stevens doing her bike in the gym next to me.

Or it's nice to see a girl in the main draw, with whom they recently played at junior tournaments.

A couple of times I met Stefanos Tsitsipas, Elena Vesnina, Alexander Zverev.

- Some tennis players are increasingly complaining that they are tired of living in a bubble.

How difficult is it for you to follow all the security measures?

- It was not hard for me.

When you play match after match, prepare for the next meeting, train before and after it, you no longer notice the restrictions, because even without them we do not go anywhere much, although in the first week it was only allowed to leave the “bubble” for an hour.

But they walked up a lot after the end of the French Open.

I was in Paris for the first time, so I liked it, I especially impressed the center, it is very beautiful.

- In addition to you, three Russians advanced to the semifinals of the Roland Garros junior.

Does this indicate a gradual return of women's tennis in the country to the previous level?

- Of course, there are many good juniors in Russia now.

But at the same time, I would not have to wonder if we should expect a breakthrough from them, because everyone has a different transition from junior to adult tennis.

It all depends on each individual athlete.

- In your opinion, why do successful juniors often fade at the adult level?

- I think the whole point is more likely not in physical form or problems associated with growing up, but in psychology.

At the adult level, an athlete is always required to give 100% return, so not everyone can cope with the moral pressure.

- Thanks to your success at Roland Garros, you are already being spoken of as the hope of women's tennis.

Does this put additional pressure on you?

- No, I wouldn't say.

Everyone has their own way, their own way, so everything depends only on me.

I myself feel that I am ready for this transition, I think I will succeed.

- Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon at the age of 17, being yesterday's junior.

Why is this almost impossible to imagine now?

- She is, in principle, a very strong person who is capable of much, regardless of the circumstances.

And now, in the context of a pandemic, the competition has become much less, accordingly, the competition has increased and it has become more difficult to score points in order to at least get to the adult Grand Slam tournament, not to mention the victory.

- Did you follow the performance of your compatriots in the adult grid?

- Yes, I like Svetlana Kuznetsova, so I was very upset when she lost to Victoria Azarenka and dropped out in the first round.

At the same time, Elena Vesnina was pleased, who managed to perform well after a long break.

Unfortunately, juniors did not have the opportunity to attend adult matches, they had to buy tickets, and there was no time.

But whenever possible I followed everyone.

- What, in your opinion, was not enough for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to defeat Barbora Kreichikova in the decisive match of the French Open?

- Honestly, I was not able to watch the final, but, most likely, her physical form let her down a little.

"Sometimes I take an example from my younger sister"

- How did you start your career in tennis?

- Probably, like many others, my parents brought me to the tennis section, although I was calm about classes, there were no tantrums or scandals.

I was sent to a group for children from five years old, but then I was about four.

They said that if nothing works out, then you can come in a year, but as a result, they left.

My mother went to classes with me, she had to change into a sports uniform and collect balls for me so that I could play.

Some even thought she was my second coach.

When I was about eight or nine years old, I realized that I wanted to continue playing tennis.

Although initially I just liked hitting the ball, watching others play.

But gradually I wanted to go to the court myself.

- Are your parents involved in sports?

- Not.

Mom loved watching tennis matches when she was pregnant with me, and then she herself enrolled in an amateur group.

- Remember your first tournament?

- Yes, even then we played on low grids.

Mother's emotions were especially remembered.

She filmed my match on camera, and the image turned out to be of poor quality, because her hands were shaking with excitement.

She even jokes that she does not understand how it was possible to be so worried, even more than now.

- Your sister Mirra went to tennis after you?

- Yes, there are three years between us, and we always spent a lot of time together.

And when I started practicing, she was also constantly on the court.

So she just had no choice.

Now we are already training together, sometimes, at the request of the coach, I will give her something, sometimes she will advise me something.

- Have you thought about becoming the new Williams sisters?

- Of course, but I think we at least do not fit in terms of physical parameters.

Rather, we would like to become famous sisters Andreevs.

- Who is your idol in the world of tennis?

- I am guided by Simona Halep, I really like her style of play, her character.

I would also highlight Ashley Barty and Leila Fernandez.

I will not deny that sometimes I follow the example of my younger sister.

- Have you crossed paths with these tennis players somewhere?

- I saw Leila in the dressing room at Roland Garros.

Not yet with Ashley and Simone.

But, to be honest, I don’t know what I would have done if I had met them.

I would be ashamed to distract if I saw that the person is busy.

As for other eminent athletes, at the training camp they crossed paths with Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva, but they did not manage to communicate much.

- Against whom would you like to go to court?

- It would be interesting to play with Kuznetsova.

- Why are there no bright stars among the large number of strong tennis players, such as Steffi Graf or Martina Navratilova were at one time?

- It seems to me that at the moment many people prefer power tennis, they work more on physical fitness, there are very few tennis players who play with their heads.

Yes, not long ago Serena Williams was at the top, and now no one can compare with her.

In addition, modern technologies also to some extent equalize the chances of a high result.

Therefore, it is hardly worth expecting the appearance of stars of this level.

- Who would you single out in men's tennis?

- Before, I really liked Marat Safin, his free, even rebellious demeanor on the court.

And now I admire the big three, I don't even know who could surpass it.

When I look at athletes like Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, I can't even imagine how much they had to work to reach this level.

They are a cut above everyone else.

- And if you choose one of the big three?

- I understand why many people prefer Roger Federer, but I would choose Nadal, because he achieved everything himself, solely thanks to hard work and willpower.

By the way, I once managed to attend his match with Nick Kiryos.

It was embarrassing, because I was sitting in the Australian box, and I was rooting for Rafa (

Laughs

).

- In addition to reaching the final of Roland Garros, you won two ITF tournaments on clay.

Is this your favorite surface?

- Yes.

I like that on this surface there are longer rallies, more hits, which means that the game is more interesting.

It suits me perfectly.

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- How would you describe your style of play?

- I do not like to attack from the first blows, so I wait for the moment and only then start to act more aggressively.

- What are your goals for the near future and for your career in general?

- Now I plan to get to Wimbledon and play at the tournament preceding it.

Then we will prepare for the rest of the season.

As for my career, I want to win as many Grand Slam tournaments as possible and compete in the Olympics.

For me, victories are more important than high rankings.

Because only after the triumph do you experience incredible emotions, real euphoria.

- Aren't you afraid that you will have to sacrifice something in order to build a successful sports career?

- It depends on what you mean by this.

For me, the biggest sacrifice is that I have to be away from my family for a dividing time.

She is the most important thing in life for me, I am not so attached to anything else.

As for studying, there are no specific plans either, so far you only have to find a compromise in order to combine it with tennis.

- In figure skating, close attention is riveted to athletes of your age, fans are ready to defend their idols with all their might.

Would you like tennis to have this level of popularity at an early age?

- This is a different sport with its own age categories, so fame comes to us much later.

At the moment, I don't need this.

To be honest, I don't even know if I have personal fans or pages dedicated to me on social networks.

- What sports do you follow besides tennis?

- I just like to watch figure skating, especially when the World or European Championships are held, I always root for the Russians.

In addition, I love snowboard cross, I know Nikolai Olyunin, I watch his performances.

- Do you single out someone specific in figure skating?

- In general, I am worried about our people, but I am especially sympathetic to Evgeny Medvedev, I like her behavior and mentality.

- What do you devote your free time to?

- When there was a pandemic, I played the guitar, recalled the works that I studied at the music school.

By the way, I also visited her thanks to my mother.

And in our free time with Mirra we go to rope parks, I like to climb, overcome various obstacles.