Mirra Andreeva made life difficult for herself en route to the Madrid Open semi-finals.
Allowing a 5-1 third-set lead to slip against Anna Bondar in the fourth round, Andreeva shouted the following towards Conchita Martinez and others in her coaching box.
“I’m not a champion, I’m not a champion. I will lose. I will lose. I choke,” she said.
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Andreeva eventually secured the win and subsequently beat Leylah Fernandez in the quarter-finals, but what did Martinez think about her latest outburst?
Conchita Martinez admits she ‘yelled’ at Mirra Andreeva during her outburst in Madrid
Appearing as a guest on ‘Game Set Madrid‘, Martinez was asked how she deals with Andreeva’s meltdowns.
“It’s very difficult,” she said (translated from Spanish).
“It’s really complicated.
“Look, from the box, before these situations happen, what we’re trying to do is make these happen less, to create opportunities to make it less explosive on the court.
“But it’s genuine, and that’s how it is.
“You’re just trying to make her believe in herself.
“Sometimes you’re cheering her up, sometimes you just can’t take it anymore.”
Andreeva certainly tested Martinez’s patience in the third round!
“You say, ‘What do you want me to say?’, I think I even yelled at her yesterday,” Martinez admitted.
“Sometimes I’ve thought about sending her a kiss to make her laugh, I don’t know, but it’s about getting her out of it.
“Luckily, I was a bit far away, I didn’t hear what she was saying, but then I saw the video…
“Being with her, encouraging her, and trying to get her out of that situation is very, very difficult.”
Martinez understands Andreeva, though, and doesn’t forget the Russian is still a teenager.
The 19-year-old has let her emotions get the better of her on several occasions recently, most notably at Indian Wells.
There, she launched an expletive-filled rant as she left the court following her third-round defeat to Katerina Siniakova.
A year earlier, she was in tears at the French Open after being upset by the home favourite Lois Boisson.
Many players, pundits, and fans believe Andreeva has Grand Slam-winning potential, but until she finds a way to keep her emotions in check, that potential may remain unfulfilled.
Mirra Andreeva can still win the Madrid Open despite meltdown
Luckily for Andreeva, her talents far outweigh any issues with her temperament.
Escaping with the win against Bondar in the fourth round, she then defeated Fernandez in straight sets, advancing to her first Madrid Open semi-final.
Mirra Andreeva at the 2026 Madrid Open
| Round | Opponent | Nationality | Result | Score |
| 2R | Panna Udvardy | Hungarian | WIN | 7-5, 6-2 |
| 3R | Dalma Galfi | Hungarian | WIN | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 4R | Anna Bondar | Hungarian | WIN | 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 |
| QF | Leylah Fernandez | Canadian | WIN | 7-6, 6-3 |
Andreeva is the favourite to win the Madrid Open, as the top seed remaining in the competition.
2026 Madrid Open semi-finals
- [30] Hailey Baptiste vs [9] Mirra Andreeva
- [26] Marta Kostyuk vs [LL] Anastasia Potapova
She has played Hailey Baptiste once before, at Wimbledon last year, a match she comfortably won in straight sets.
Andreeva will be hoping to extend her winning record over the American to 2-0, but would be wise not to underestimate Baptiste.
The 24-year-old has beaten two top-10 players: Jasmine Paolini and Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid.
If Andreeva can end Baptiste’s impressive run at the Madrid Open, she would meet either Anastasia Potapova or Marta Kostyuk in the final.
Andreeva lost the one match she’s played against Kostyuk, at January’s Brisbane International, but leads Potapova 3-1 in their head-to-head.
Given Kostyuk is unbeaten on clay this year, and Potapova is a lucky loser, it’s not hard to imagine who Andreeva would rather meet in the final.
But she won’t want to get ahead of herself thinking about the final just yet, and will first focus on her semi-final match against Baptiste.
Andreeva and Baptiste will play their semi-final match on Thursday, April 30.
