Mirra Andreeva is part of a handful of hugely emotional Russian players who are often criticised for their conduct.
And, in some instances, such criticism can be valid.
When Andrey Rublev aggressively strikes a racket against his own knee, or Daniil Medvedev launches it recklessly into the court, it is a bad look for tennis.
However, whilst Mirra Andreeva has also got angry in the past, the bulk of her emotional outpouring seems to be sadness.
This re-emerged after Saturday’s Madrid Open final, where she was forced to cover her face with a towel afterwards as she sat sobbing on the changeover bench.
Despite the fact that this was a 19-year-old girl having just lost one of the most important matches of her career, many have taken aim at Andreeva. Fortunately, one notable name has now come to her defence.
Mirra Andreeva’s post-final tears now defended
The figure in question is actually a former coach of Naomi Osaka’s, Sascha Bajin.
He took to X, launching into a frustrated rant at those who would seek to lambast Andreeva for her sadness.
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The German wrote: “Everybody who’s s———- on Mirra, a 19-year-old girl for crying after losing the finals clearly never dedicated his or her whole life towards one thing. Never played any competitive sports and clearly doesn’t understand the concept of giving it your all but still getting beaten.”
Then, when one fan commended him on his claim, he added: “You gotta hate losing and it has to hurt in order for you to be successful. I just hope she doesn’t forget the joy of winning and doesn’t see winning as the norm. Great players tend to forget that sometimes.”
Andreeva gave a tearful but respectful runner-up speech, and in all honesty, there was no reason for anyone to criticise her conduct during or after this final. She acted with grace, but was simply unable to hold back tears after such a crushing loss.
Mirra Andreeva’s explanation for why she gets so emotional
Having had time to compose herself, Andreeva spoke with far more clarity in her post-match press conference.
And, she gave a rather articulate reason for why she struggles so much with losing these big clashes, admitting: “Every time I lose, every time it’s like the end of the world to me.”
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The teenager admitted she could not understand how other players appear upbeat after such losses, adding: “I don’t know. Sometimes I see other players, like, smile right after the defeat, right after the matches they lost. 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.”
