“In the end when you don’t think about what’s going to happen, it always ends up being one of the best tournaments of your career.” Mirra Andreeva expressed her honest feelings ahead of an awaited final in Dubai on Saturday. Fortunes can turn real quick on the tennis court. And who knows it better than the 17-year-old tennis phenom? Just when it seemed her 2025 season was going dull, following an early exit at the Qatar Open last week, the 2024 French Open semifinalist appears to have stunned herself. On Friday, she pulled off a huge upset, eliminating World No.7 Elena Rybakina, and became the youngest WTA 1000 finalist since the format’s inception in 2019.

But Andreeva is not all about pushing herself on the court to give the best performance. Sometimes, she can be a little funny too! She recently teased her cheeky side ahead of the anticipated championship encounter in Dubai. In a press conference, Andreeva was asked about her mindset and how it has changed in the last two years since she began competing professionally, especially to tackle expectations and the pressure of winning every time.

The 17-year-old said, “Well, I would say that when I first started playing WTA tournaments, nobody expected anything from me. So I didn’t have any pressure. I was just going out on the court, and I was just playing. If it doesn’t happen or if it doesn’t work, if I lose the match, everyone was still happy with my level and with the way I played.”