Mirra Andreeva lost 3-6, 5-7 to Marta Kostyuk in the Madrid Open final.
The 19-year-old was devastated after the match, failing to win a WTA 1000 final for the first time in her career.
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During the trophy presentations, Andreeva held back tears as she thanked her team.
Later, in her press conference, Andreeva shared what happened when she saw coach Conchita Martinez after the match.
Mirra Andreeva says she kept crying when she saw Conchita Martinez after the Madrid Open final
“We didn’t talk yet, she just gave me a hug,” said Andreeva.
“But every time she would start talking to me, I would start crying, so we didn’t talk yet.”
Andreeva’s emotions have been discussed at length in Madrid.
During her fourth-round win, Andreeva claimed she was ‘not a champion’, which frustrated Martinez.
After the match, many questioned whether her emotional outbursts would cost her when it mattered most.
The 19-year-old often plays with her heart on her sleeve, but perhaps the discourse around her mentality affected Andreeva in the final.
She was quieter than usual and didn’t display the fire that makes her so good to watch.
Finding that balance is never going to be easy, as Andreeva admits she still has a long way to go.
“Every time I lose, every time it’s like the end of the world to me,” she said.
“I don’t know, sometimes I see other players, like, smile right after the defeat, right after the matches they lost.
“To me, I don’t understand how people do it.
“I wish I could do it.
“Every match that I lose is obviously very disappointing and very painful to me.
“I hope that maybe in the future this can improve, and I can, maybe, after the match that I lose, I can, you know, talk about it right away and not take some time before starting to talk about it.”
Andreeva was then asked if being the favourite affected her in the Madrid Open final.
“I would say that that stuff didn’t actually bother me that much,” she said.
“When people said that during my last press conference, I thought about it, but then after I didn’t think about it, not even once.
“I mean, of course, it’s kind of easier to go to the match and play well when you’re not kind of the favourite.
“But it also, it’s also not easy because I know that I’ve been in both of those positions.
“I can say that those, I didn’t think about those things.
“I was just trying to focus on my plan and what I have to do to try and win this match.”
Before the match, Andreeva denied claims that she was the favourite to win the Madrid Open, although the fans thought otherwise.
69% of TalkingPoints voters backed Andreeva to beat Kostyuk in the Madrid Open final
Andreeva will now have to pick herself up before travelling to Rome for the Italian Open.
Why Mirra Andreeva must remain positive despite losing the Madrid Open final
It wasn’t the fairy tale ending Andreeva hoped for, but she shouldn’t feel disheartened.
Andreeva has been mightily impressive on clay this year, only losing to the world number two, Elena Rybakina, and the Madrid Open champion, Marta Kostyuk.
Heading into the Italian Open, there is no reason why Andreeva can’t make another deep run, provided she plays as well as she has so far this clay-court season.
Fans of the teenager will remember how she heartbreakingly missed out on a spot at the 2025 WTA Finals by six points.
Thanks to her strong start to the season, Andreeva is well-positioned to qualify this year.
Live WTA Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 4,103 |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 4,015 |
| 3 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 2,970 |
| 4 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 2,713 |
| 5 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 2,460 |
| 6 | Karolina Muchova | Czechia | 2,270 |
| 7 | Victoria Mboko | Canada | 1,937 |
| 8 | Coco Gauff | USA | 1,923 |
| 9 | Marta Kostyuk | Ukraine | 1,715 |
| 10 | Belinda Bencic | Switzerland | 1,307 |
If recent seasons are anything to go by, Andreeva will probably need another 2,000 points to guarantee qualification.
WTA Finals qualifiers (Fewest points per year)
- 2025 – Jasmine Paolini (4,325)
- 2024 – Qinwen Zheng (4,540)
- 2023 – Maria Sakkari (3,245)
- 2022 – Daria Kasatkina (2,935)
- 2021 – Annett Kontaveit (3,096)
She would love nothing more than to earn 1,000 points by winning the upcoming Italian Open, which begins on Tuesday, May 5.
