Mirra Andreeva’s run to the Madrid Open semi-finals included a moment she’ll want to forget.
After letting a 5-1 lead slip away in the third set against Anna Bondar during the fourth round, Andreeva yelled towards Conchita Martinez and her team.
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She shouted: “I’m not a champion, I’m not a champion. I will lose. I will lose. I choke.”
Although she managed to pull through that match and later defeated Leylah Fernandez in the quarter-finals, attention turned to how Martinez viewed her emotional reaction.
Conchita Martinez admits she ‘yelled’ at Mirra Andreeva during her outburst in Madrid
Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images
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.
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“But it’s genuine, and that’s how it is.
“You’re just trying to make her believe in herself.
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.
Mirra Andreeva remains Madrid Open favourite despite outburst
Fortunately for Andreeva, her talent far outweighs any concerns about her temperament.
After surviving Bondar in the fourth round, she then beat Fernandez in straight sets to reach her first Madrid Open semi-final.
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Andreeva is now the favourite to win the title as the highest seed left in the draw.
2026 Madrid Open semi-finals
[30] Hailey Baptiste vs [9] Mirra Andreeva
[26] Marta Kostyuk vs [LL] Anastasia Potapova
She has faced Hailey Baptiste once before, at Wimbledon last year, winning comfortably in straight sets.
Andreeva will aim to improve that record to 2-0, but would be wise not to underestimate the American.
The 24-year-old has already beaten two top-10 players in Madrid: Jasmine Paolini and Aryna Sabalenka.
If Andreeva ends Baptiste’s strong run, she would face either Anastasia Potapova or Marta Kostyuk in the final.
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Andreeva lost her only meeting with Kostyuk at January’s Brisbane International, but leads Potapova 3-1 head-to-head.
With Kostyuk unbeaten on clay this year and Potapova entering as a lucky loser, it is clear who Andreeva would prefer in the final.
But first, her focus will be on Thursday’s semi-final against Baptiste on April 30.
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