Mirra, Mirra on the Wall...

“My coach lost in the finals,” said Mirra Andreeva before the Indian Wells final this year. “I’m going to try to do better than her.” And ‘do better’ she did.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the bravest one of all?” I asked.

“Iga Swiatek,” came the reply.

“Really? Iga?” I asked curiously but not surprised at all. “Why do you feel so?”

“Well,” said the mirror. “Iga is the ex-World No. 1 after all and the first player in history to reach the Indian Wells semifinals in four consecutive years.”

“Ermmm, okay. Does that really mean she’s the bravest?” I asked trying to lawyer up. “Correlation does not imply causation, you see.”

“Right. That’s true,” the mirror concurred. “But she’s also lost just two main-draw matches at the tournament in her career — to Jelena Ostapenko in the 2021 fourth round and to Elena Rybakina in the 2023 semifinals.”

“What about this year though?” I quipped back sarcastically.

“Oh. Yeah. About that,” the mirror stuttered. “Do we want to get into that?”

“Sure, why not,” I said. It was, after all, a masterclass on display from a certain young Russian who took out Swiatek, the two-time Indian Wells champion.

After squeaking out a close first set in a tie-break, this player — competing in just her second Indian Wells tournament — bounced back after a second-set blowout to defeat Swiatek 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3 in the semifinals.

“Iga Swiatek lost out in the semifinals this time,” gulped the mirror. “A decent performance, nonetheless,” it further added.

“I’m sure it was,” said I with a smirk on my face.

At just 17 years old, this Russian sensation hit a flurry of some incredible flat, cross-court, and down-the-line backhands that Swiatek — a five-time Grand Slam champion — couldn’t even get close to, let alone touch.

Or she rallied with Swiatek until the Pole grew impatient and started spraying forehands wide and dumping backhands into the net.

Swiatek was soon hitting balls away in anger and snapping at her coaches.

“Alright, fine. How about Aryna Sabalenka?” asked the mirror, waking me up from the mesmerizing trance I was in thinking about some brilliant tennis.

“Ah, Aryna,” I retorted. “I was wondering why you didn’t mention her yet.”

“Surely you don’t have issues with Sabalenka too?” asked the mirror worriedly. “She’s the current World No. 1 and defending US Open champion.”

“Oh yeah, absolutely. A worthy contender indeed,” I replied. “But the question was about who’s the bravest of them all. Not the best of them all.”

“Aryna is brave,” the mirror snapped back. “I think,” it further added.

“She’s reached the Indian Wells final two times in the last three years and was also a finalist at this year’s Australian Open.”

“Totally,” I agreed. “She’s also won 18 singles titles, including three Grand Slams, and has aggregated over $32 million in career prize money.”

“Yup. Yup. Exactly my point,” replied the mirror proudly.

“Plus, she reached the final of this year’s Indian Wells tournament without dropping a set, which is always a great feat considering there are so many talented players in the mix to challenge her,” I added.

“Yup. Yup. No doubt. Glad you agree,” the mirror said now victoriously.

“But remember that 17-year-old sensation I mentioned earlier?” I enquired.

“Uh huh,” the mirror replied suspiciously. “What about her?”

“Nothing much. She beat Sabalenka to win Indian Wells and in the process became the tournament’s third-youngest female champion after Martina Hingis in 1998 and Serena Williams in 1999,” I answered.

“Oh,” said the mirror pensively.

“Yeah! And that’s not all. She also won the Dubai Duty Free Championships a couple of weeks back,” I added. “A victory that made her the youngest woman since Hingis in 1997 to win back-to-back WTA 1000 titles.”

“Who is this person, this so-called ‘sensation’ of yours? And how does that make her brave?” asked the mirror perplexed and a tad bit frustrated.

“Her name is,” I said before pausing for dramatic effect “Mirra Andreeva.”

The mirror did have a very valid question, though.

What had Mirra Andreeva done that was pushing me to negate — nay insult — it and absolutely trash its recommendations for the bravest of them all.

I mean, I can’t speak for everyone, but I find the narrative of a 17-year-old Russian girl trying to navigate the world on her own (and winning it) despite the current geopolitical landscape pretty powerful and brave. No?

Think about it. The world lately has been pretty unkind to Russian athletes. While some might deserve the flak they’re getting because of their off-the-court allegiances, others have been unnecessarily caught in the crossfire.

(no pun intended)

At times like these, it can be extremely demotivating and terribly traumatic for someone to step out on to the court and face the boos of the world.

Especially for someone that young.

But Andreeva has been doing that with undeterred grace and a supreme smile on her face. “I’d like to thank myself for believing in myself,” she said after winning the Dubai title. I would like to thank you too, Mirra!

And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the bullying on the Tennis court itself.

From established players exerting their dominance to big hitters relying on their arrogant showcase of strength, there’s always one hurdle or the other for young newbies to think about when it comes to making a mark.

Lucky for Mirra, things like these don’t bother her.

She’s okay standing up to bullies, looking them in the eye, and letting her racquet do the talking. Stellar service? Check. Thunderous backhand? Check.

And she’s turned winning into a habit and gotten really good at it too.

At Indian Wells, she defeated three high-ranked players on the trot – No. 7 Rybakina, No. 2 Swiatek, and No. 1 Sabalenka – on her way to win the title.

In that process, she became the second-youngest woman to defeat the No. 1 and No. 2 at the same tournament. The only younger player to achieve the feat is Tracy Austin, who actually did it twice as a 16-year-old in 1979.

To add to that, in the last 40 years, the only other women who have defeated the World No. 1 and No. 2 at the same WTA tournament are Steffi Graf (1987 Miami) and Serena Williams (1999 US Open).

Just two of the greatest ever women to have played the game. And Andreeva.

And if that wasn’t enough, she is also only the third player this century to win at least 10 straight tour-level matches before turning 21.

Read that again. It says THIS CENTURY. Yikes!

But Mirra Andreeva hasn’t been alone in this journey. Her coach (and mentor) the great Conchita Martinez deserves a lot of the credit too.

Martinez is undoubtedly one of the OGs of Tennis.

Former Wimbledon champion. Former Billie Jean King Cup champion. And of course, coach of Garbine Muguruza when she won Wimbledon in 2017.

All in all, a proper queen bee.

Martinez has been instrumental in speeding up Mirra’s inevitable rise.

During one of the post-match press conferences this tournament, Andreeva said, “I don’t know why I felt so much confidence [during the match].”

Now, I’m no expert in player-coach dynamics, but if I had to take a wild guess as if my life depended on it, I would say that may have something to do with Conchita Martinez sitting in Mirra Andreeva’s corner these days.

Martinez understands the sensation of standing on the brink of global recognition. At just 16, she reached the fourth round of the French Open.

That was only her third professional tournament.

The following year, she reached the quarterfinals of the same tournament and concluded the year ranked as the World No. 7.

In Andreeva, Martinez sees herself and has found the perfect inspiration.

Because Mirra is a player who aspires to weave the same creative tapestry Martinez once did, infused with her own quiet resolve and fervent passion.

Martinez could never win Indian Wells though. She fell just short in 1992.

“My coach lost in the finals,” said Mirra Andreeva before the Indian Wells final this year. “I’m going to try to do better than her.”

And ‘do better’ she did.

Andreeva is now bound for Miami, where, if she clinches the title, she would become the youngest player, male or female, to achieve the Sunshine Double by winning both Indian Wells and Miami in the same year.

No teenager has ever achieved the feat, and she’s still only 17.

“Mirra Andreeva?” spoke the mirror suddenly, waking me up once again from the mesmerizing trance I had fallen back into.

I turned back and with a nod whispered, “Yup. She is the bravest of them all.”