For the second consecutive year, Mirra Andreeva has once again made headlines at this Mutua Madrid Open. This time with the help of one of ours, Conchita Martínez, who will repeat as director in the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup.
Conchita Martínez (Monzón, 1972) rests at a solitary table in the Mutua Madrid Open press restaurant, although only physically. Her mind does not stop elaborating responses to the multiple interview requests that come to her from different media: some to talk about her recent work with Mirra Andreeva, others related to her role as her director in the upcoming finals. of the BJKC 2024 In sevilla. At Punto de Break we don’t like to leave any topic aside, so we sat down with the former world No. 2 to discuss both current issues. A luxury interview with one of the most important figures in the history of Spanish tennis.
Spain-Poland again in the BJKC, how do you see it?
We already played with them last year, although it is true that Iga Swiatek did not come. This year things change, since we did see her compete in the April qualifying round to get her country into the final phase. From the Bille Jean King Cup we hope that all the players come, that each country brings its best tennis players. Last year I think it was very good, so this year it will depend a little on the team that Spain brings and the team that Poland brings, we will have to wait and see who plays. It may be okay, it will always be difficult because they are the twelve best nations.
Is Spain a candidate for the title?
Yes, last year I already answered this question. Being there you have a chance to win, but it will depend a lot on the players who come. What is positive is the fact of playing at home, although in the end you cannot put the BJKC on clay, since everyone comes from playing indoors. Even so, playing in Spain is a plus that we have to take advantage of, we will have to play every game, although we know that there are very powerful teams.
Will there be any changes compared to the last edition?
Last year we had a very nice week in Seville, it was a huge audience success, all the tickets for the semi-finals and the final were sold. Then during the week we know that they are more difficult days because we had qualifying rounds at 10:00 and 16:00, so in the first round we tried to bring some schools to create an atmosphere, which I think was achieved. In general, both the countries and the players congratulated us on how well everything was organized. Of course there will be small adjustments, this time we have more time, so we can organize it much better. We want to reach everyone, generate that noise and let people know that the BJKC is played in Seville.
I understand that the mission is to create that sports culture that makes people go to watch tennis, not only to Spain.
I think that in Seville we achieve it, people are always encouraged, Seville is a city that is very close to other Andalusian cities that are surely also encouraged. We are lucky to have the BJKC there and the Davis Cup in Malaga, we must appreciate when two great competitions like these come to be held in Spain, we must take advantage of the moment.
How long will we have this privilege? There will be many countries wanting to host…
Of course there are! After this year we have the possibility of renewing for another year, but we’ll see. The institutions will have to talk about it, but it is evident that it is not going to stay here forever, that is why I say that we must take advantage of this moment, this pull that is something very beautiful.
Let’s talk about Mirra Andreeva. Can you say that she has already finished the trial period?
We have to talk about it, we agreed not to touch on that topic until he finished his tour in Madrid […] Right now I know that I will go to Rome, but I think the trial period is going quite well, we have good chemistry and we are working very well. In the coming weeks we will talk about it.
What do you need to see in Mirra to convince you of the project?
From the coach’s side, what I like most about Mirra is that she is a great competitor, she is a great worker, and she is quite a sponge. She is a girl who listens a lot. Apart from the fact that we get along well, it is a pleasure for me to get on the court to work with her. It seems that she has a very good base, she comes with a super consolidated work base, so now she has to improve other aspects. She still has a lot of room for improvement, but this can be done with time, if not more complicated. So far, what I have seen is that she is a great worker and that she is willing to let herself be helped. She is listening to me and she is letting me work, for me that is the most important thing, that they let me work.
He is only 17 years old, but it is impossible not to dream of the greatest.
It’s very young […] I see her as good, I see her as very good, but you never know what the future will bring. If she continues along this line I see her doing great things, I see her becoming one of the best tennis players in the world. Now what she has to do is work with humility, which she has been doing since day one. She really likes what she does, she enjoys being on the court, she seems happy, she always gives you a smile when she plays and when she trains. With this alone she already has a lot of gains.
Psychologically, do you see her prepared for such demands?
I see her as mature and at the same time as a child. For her age I see her as very mature in certain things, but at the same time she is still that 17-year-old girl, something necessary to maintain that freshness.
What do you think of the rule that limits you to playing only some WTA tournaments?
It seems fine to me, it is a rule to protect the players. In fact, this was born a bit in my time, where there were several cases of girls who ended up injured or burned out from facing a full schedule at those ages. It is a rule that is there and that must be respected, if it has been made it is because of the experience one has of the circuit, it is designed with the aim of protecting the player.
Maybe it’s harder for the player to understand.
I also understand the player, we have all felt that impatience of wanting to play everything, but at that age you are in a period of growth, a stage where you need to give it some time in most factors. It doesn’t seem bad to me, really.
If it had happened to you…?
Well, maybe at that moment I would have said the same thing, I’m sure I would have wanted to play and compete with the best, it could be […] We must pay attention to the experience of those examples where the pressure became unsustainable for wanting to play every week. I do see Coco Gauff, for example, as very mature, but surely not everyone is like her. Not everyone understands when to stop.
2024-05-03 20:25:39
#Mirra #Andreeva #sponge #helped
