dailyloe.com – World No. 8 Mirra Andreeva shared her pre-match routine on the latest episode of Behind the Curtain. The 18-year-old uses positive visualization before matches. She closes her eyes and fantasizes that she is Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. She imagines hitting winners from all angles of the court.
“They fight for every point, and they hit those amazing shots that go into highlight videos,” Andreeva said. “I try to go on court with this kind of mindset.” Once on court, she loosens up by singing a silly song to herself. One example she gave was Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl, though it sounded like she mixed up words from Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’.
Andreeva loves to sing, as shown by her rendition of Happy Birthday for her coach, Conchita Martinez. Her rituals seem to be working. She won her second title of the season in Linz earlier this month. She then reached the semifinals in Stuttgart, defeating Iga Swiatek in three sets.
On Thursday, Andreeva defeated World No. 78 Panna Udvardy 7-5, 6-2 in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Next up is Dalma Galfi, who upset 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya. Their third-round match on Saturday will be their first career meeting.
