THE MODERATOR: Mirra, welcome to Toronto. Can you just talk us through your preparations, and what are the emotions coming in here.
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, it's my first time in Toronto, so I'm very excited about the tournament, about the city. I haven't had the time to go to the city and just, I don't know, explore things. Today I practiced earlier in the morning, so maybe today's going to be one of the days where I'm just going to go and, I don't know, explore the city and see some things. But very excited to start the tournament here.
THE MODERATOR: Questions?
Q. Linda Noskova was in here earlier and she talked about resetting after winning her first slam title, and some of the challenges that may come with that. I'm curious from your perspective how challenging it's been for you after winning the French Open to reset and focus on different tournaments?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I think sooner or later you just have to do it. I think the sooner you do it the better, but of course for me it was hard because I haven't had a lot of time to kind of enjoy the win. I had to really go and prepare for grass court, which was also, I mean, I had a full week of practicing on grass before playing, but as we know it didn't go the best way (smiling.) But, yeah, it's just hard to kind of, I guess, forget that it happened, try to move on, and just go and play the next tournament that you have in your plan like nothing happened. I think for me that would be the right mindset, and that's what I'm trying also, you know, to focus on when I would be playing here and my next tournaments, just, you know, to play a tournament like nothing happened.
Q. Last year you got to play in the first mixed doubles competition at the US Open with Daniil. Curious, what did you enjoy about last year's competition that made you want to do it again?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I mean, first of all, I just loved the time that we had together. He's obviously a very experienced player, and it was, for me it was very interesting to just spend some time with him, talk and just see how he approaches some things. But at the same time, I like to play doubles, and to have an opportunity to play mixed doubles as well with, you know, one of the best ATP players there are, when I saw the opportunity, I decided to go for it and take it. For me it was fun, of course I thought that it would just be fun, but then as soon as we stepped out on court I was also nervous. I don't know, for me it was just a great opportunity to spend some time with a great ATP player and at the same time, you know, it's also something competitive that I think we both wanted to play at. I don't know, I just had a lot of fun, and that's why I just wanted to do it this year again.
Q. Another doubles-related question, you played with Canadian Vicky Mboko a couple times this year as your partner, and you had some pretty competitive singles matches again each other. How did that partnership come about and can you speak to what she was like to play with and also against?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Yeah, I would say it was more fun to play with her on one side rather than be opponents. She's a great girl. She's my good friend. I wanted to play doubles with her, so I just asked if she was available before Indian Wells and she said, Yes, let's play, and we just agreed for that American swing. Honestly, we just had so much fun. It's so nice to have someone also your age, you know, that also goes through a lot of the same stuff. She's, I would say, one of the nicest girls there are on tour, so for me it was just super fun to spend some time with her.
It's not as fun to play against her because obviously, you know, she's a great player as well and it's not easy to face a friend. Yeah, I'm just happy that we had an opportunity to play doubles together.
Q. About the win at Roland Garros, you mentioned you didn't have a lot of time to really celebrate it, but how much does that change just how you feel, knowing that you're a major champion now, that you've got the first one under your belt, have you found that there's just a different vibe in your day-to-day now that you've got that one?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Honestly, I thought that it would be like that, but now kind of as the time passed by I, I don't know, it's happened, it's great, of course it's one of the dreams that I was able to accomplish. I don't know, now it's been kind of some time passed and, I don't know, it happened, so okay, I'm happy it happened, but now I also have to focus on, you know, on the future and the further tournaments that I have to play.
Q. I wonder what it is like for professional tennis players to be on social media. What is it like, what's the good and bad of what you see and what you experience?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: Well, I would say that obviously the good thing is that you can engage with your fans, you can get to know a lot of different people through social media. I would say that I've only so far had good experiences. I wouldn't say that I had something, I don't even know what to say what's bad about it. Obviously, you know, you get followed, I guess, in some ways, but I'm not super active on social media, so for me it's also hard to say because I think that maybe those players that are more active on social media, maybe they can say more or dive into this a little bit more. I don't know, I would just say that you just have, you can engage with your fans, you have a lot of people that you can meet, and so far I think that's all I can say for now.
Q. Just about your coaching relationship with Conchita Martinez, you two have been working together for a couple years now, which for many players that's a long time, we see some players are changing their coaches more frequently. How is it that that dynamic between the two of you has been so successful over this time?
MIRRA ANDREEVA: I think that we started great and I wouldn't say anything in our relationship has changed so far. I think it's also very important to kind of have that borderline where you don't, that you don't cross, that you don't become friends over, you know, being just a player/coach relationship. I think both of us we understand and we know where the line is, so I think that's important as well. But, I don't know, I guess we also feel very comfortable around each other. I know her as a person more and more, she knows me as a person very well. For me it's just important to have kind of a stable coach that is always there. I was always like this, I think in my career I only had maybe four coaches, and with each one of them I've worked maybe for over a year. So I like to have, you know, a team that is there with me for a long time, because I think that when you have a team that is with you maybe for a year or over, then maybe you really get to know each other as people and as, how do you say, as athletes and coaches as well. So for me it's just important that she still, you know, wants to work with me (laughing). We have a great relationship and I just hope that it stays this way.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports