Mirra Andreeva, Indian Wells defending champion, loses her composure in defeat

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10 March 2026 at 04:05

Mirra Andreeva is the defending Indian Wells champion. The 18-year-old is a good player with a solid game, but lately she has exemplified less than stellar behavior in defeat.

No tennis player likes or wants to lose. However, it is part of the grind of the WTA Tour and a painful part of being a professional athlete, and becoming gracious in defeat is a trait that should be worked on.

MORE: The real (pathetic) reason Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez did not play doubles at Indian Wells

Andreeva exudes a sweet, bubbly personality when all is going well and is especially joyful with her puppy, Ressi. Hopefully, her coach, International Tennis Hall of Famer Conchita Martinez, will help her work on dealing with defeat in a classy way in public and airing out the frustration privately away from the cameras, fans, and her opponents.

What Mirra Andreeva did

It was an expletive rant that flew out of Andreeva’s mouth after an icy handshake with Katerina Siniakova (who is quietly having an outstanding run in singles along with in doubles, which she is best known for, with current partner Taylor Townsend).

Watch Andreeva’s exit.

Le fissurage de Andreeva face à Siniakova

Poignée de main glaciale
pic.twitter.com/IOftAVRw0r
— TennisTemple (@tennistemple) March 9, 2026

MORE: The Daniil Medvedev and Learner Tien doubles team is eliminated way too soon at Indian Wells

It looks like even Martinez was making her mad from the stands.

Andreeva qui s’énerve sur Conchita après ce smash

La pauvre a perdu beaucoup de points après cette défaite sur Siniakova pic.twitter.com/Tiix4gsgoS
— TennisTemple (@tennistemple) March 9, 2026

There is a lot on the line for Andreeva who won 2-1000 level tournaments in 2025 (Dubai and Indian Wells) so her inability to defend those titles causes her to lose a lot of points and fall down the rankings.

However, she is young and presumably has a long career ahead and has not reached her peak form. We wish she would take these things into account.

Mar 2, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Mirra Andreeva (RUS) holds her dog Ressi during her practice session for the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

I hope to see a different Mirra Andreeva on the doubles court with fellow teen sensation Canadian Victoria Mboko. They are due to play their Round of 16 doubles match later on Monday night against Jelena Ostapenko and Hailey Baptiste.