Mirra Andreeva’s quest to defend her Indian Wells title ended in heartbreak as she was edged out by doubles icon Kateřina Siniaková in the round of 32, closing her singles journey as the eighth seed.
Andreeva’s visible struggle with her emotions after the defeat and her contentment after reaching the quarterfinals with Victoria Mboko in doubles drew a reaction from Belgian tennis legend Kim Clijsters.
Mirra Andreeva’s Indian Wells Open Experiences Garner Attention From Kim Clijsters
Andreeva kicked off her 2026 season at the Brisbane International, then soared to her first title at the Adelaide International by toppling Canadian rising star Mboko. Her momentum carried her to the fourth round of the Australian Open. It was followed by an early defeat to Mboko in Doha and a quarterfinal exit against Amanda Anisimova during her Dubai title defense.
At Indian Wells, the Russian fought a gritty battle but eventually lost the match, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, in 2 hours, 48 minutes, to the ten-time doubles Major champion. After the loss, Andreeva was distraught and expressed her emotions by throwing her racket and shouting at the crowd.
Her strong emotions and acceptance of the bitter defeat later drew a response from the winner of 41 singles and 11 doubles titles, Clijsters. In the recent episode of her podcast ‘Love All with Kim Clijsters,’ she shared why these emotions and outbursts are understandable given that Andreeva is still young.
Clijsters mentioned, “At times we forget that, right? She’s only 18, and she’s going through this whole process for the first time. What we talk about Sabalenka, we love seeing the emotions, right? There’s people that say, “Oh, you know, it’s too much at times.” I do think it’s fun to watch where you see players, maybe get mad at their team, maybe get annoyed with themselves, and sighing and rolling their eyes or whatever it is.”
She continued, “But when it gets to a point where, I think with Andreeva, you can see her at times, you know, crying on court, and it’s hard to get that out of your head and really just focus on what you have to and have a clear mind about it.”
The Belgian star, who has secured four major singles and two major doubles titles, also reflected that with age, players become better at managing their emotions. Furthermore, Clijsters also shared her thoughts on Andreeva’s coach, Conchita Martínez, who has been working on her mental side of the game as well.
READ MORE: ‘I Get Very Angry’ – Mirra Andreeva Comes Clean About Her Emotional Outburst After Indian Wells Exit
She noticed Andreeva’s quick shift in mood during her doubles match with Mboko, which they played just hours after the former’s singles heartbreak. “We all have those negative thoughts in our head, but as you get older, you’re just a little bit better at dealing with the negative thoughts, and you don’t let it take over. But good for her for able to be able to go out a couple of hours later and play, leave the site in Indian Wells, and go back to the hotel with somewhat of a good feeling, knowing that you’ve been able to kind of still enjoy your time on court.”
After defeating Jeļena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste in the round of 16, the pair faced Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunić in the quarterfinal. They bowed out with a 7-6(5), 6-2 defeat.
