Mira Andreeva said that she had learned how to recover more quickly from setbacks, after the young Russian woman, on Friday, ended her career undefeated in the group stage of the final tournament of the women's tennis season.
Andreeva won her third match in the group stage in two straight sets after a late change in the identity of her opponent, after she had already reserved her place in the semi-finals. The 19-year-old Russian player said that her match against Diana Schneider, an alternate in the tournament, posed a new psychological challenge for her because she had guaranteed her qualification, but she still wanted to maintain her momentum.
Andreeva told reporters: “Before the tournament started, I was afraid that I would not win any match in the group. Now you see how it turned out.
Thanks to this victory, Andreeva will have her first match in her career against American Jessica Pegula later on Saturday. Andreeva described Pegula as one of the calmest players on the WTA Tour, and said that her coach Conchita Martinez would help her prepare a detailed technical plan.
Andreeva's poise in the California desert represented a contrast to her emotionally charged exit from the Indian Wells tournament last March, when she lost her attempt to defend her title to Czech Katerina Siniakova. Frustrated by the defeat, she hurled insults at the fans and was met with boos as she left the stadium.
The French Open champion said that her reaction to defeats has changed significantly over the course of the season.
“Before, it was very bad,” Andreeva said. I was too dramatic. It used to take me two or three full days. I wasn't talking to anyone. “I was sitting in my room and closing the door, not wanting to train.”
Now, she said, the disappointment generally lasts only a day at most before the demands of the WTA tournaments force her to refocus on training or the next match.
Andreeva explained that the setback she suffered at the Indian Wells tournament came at a time when she was trying to incorporate the changes she had made in training into her playing style during matches, which led to fluctuations in performance and frustration. She explained that continuous work on the field, along with sessions with psychologists, helped her make progress.
This was followed by achieving results. Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this year, and qualified for the season-ending tournament for the first time after a season in which she achieved 50 wins.
Czech Katerina Siniakova has ensured that the year 2026 will end at the top of the WTA doubles rankings, for the sixth time in her career, which is a record.
Siniakova will complete 209 weeks at the top of the rankings next Monday, occupying second place on the historical list behind her compatriot Martina Navratilova, who topped the rankings for 237 weeks.
Siniakova achieved 54 victories against 8 defeats this year, and won the French Open and US Open titles alongside American Taylor Townsend. She also won seven doubles titles, the most this season, with five titles with Townsend and two titles with Chinese Zhang Shuai.
Siniakova won four Masters 1,000 titles, including a double in Indian Wells and Miami.
Siniakova and Townsend are participating in the WTA Finals tournament, held in Indian Wells.
Siniakova said: “This achievement reflects hard work, dedication and continuity. I am proud of what I have achieved, grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey, and excited to continue striving for more.”
On Friday, Victor Wimbanyama responded to the candidacy of his compatriot, judoka Teddy Renner, for the French presidential elections in 2027, declaring that he does not think about the matter “much.”
When asked in a press conference after the match against the Warriors, which his team won, the San Antonio Spurs player answered about the political perception of the five-time Olympic champion after exhaling: “I don’t think about it much.”
On Monday, Renner announced his entry into the presidential race in a short video he posted on social media.
Wimbanyama is known to not be stingy in expressing his opinion on non-sporting topics, and he does not usually hesitate to take a position, as he did in October when he declared that he was “happy that (French) high school students are hearing their voice,” during the demonstrations in France.
Or in January, when he announced that he was “shocked” by the killing of two citizens in Minneapolis, the United States, after shooting by federal agents on the sidelines of the anti-immigration operations launched by US President Donald Trump.
