Mirra Andreeva has officially announced herself as a talent to be reckoned with in the present, not just the future, by beating some of the top-seeded players in the world, including World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, on her way to the title at Indian Wells on Sunday. Apart from basketball legend LeBron James' message for her and Andreeva's ridiculous personal form aside, the other talking point that emerged from her run to the title was the Russian's notebook, which was first captured on camera during her semi-final win over second seed Iga Swiatek.
Andreeva notably took it out when she had lost the second set to Swiatek and that seemed to work, along with Swiatek's rather sensational meltdown in the final set which saw her smashing the ball at a ball kid. Andreeva went on to win 7-6 1-6 6-3. The book contains handwritten notes on the opponents the 17-year-old has faced, and she often flips through it during mid-match changeovers.
Leading tennis social media commentator Bastien Fachan on X described the notebook as a “Death Note”. "Obsessed with this shot of 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva flicking through the pages of her high-school-style notebook as the wind reveals the names of every opponent she’s cold-bloodedly taken out in Indian Wells,” he wrote.
Footage caught on Tennis Channel indeed showed a page titled “INDIAN WELLS Rybakina”; Andreeva had beaten seventh seed Elena Rybakina in the third round. Andreeva's run to the title at Indian Wells, her second Masters 1000 title this year, took her record to 19-3 this season — the most wins by a woman on tour.
{{/usCountry}}Footage caught on Tennis Channel indeed showed a page titled “INDIAN WELLS Rybakina”; Andreeva had beaten seventh seed Elena Rybakina in the third round. Andreeva's run to the title at Indian Wells, her second Masters 1000 title this year, took her record to 19-3 this season — the most wins by a woman on tour.
{{/usCountry}}Revisiting a theme from her Dubai victory speech that referred to something rapper Snoop Dogg said when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Andreeva told Sunday's crowd: “I would again like to thank myself for fighting until the end and for always believing in me and for never quitting.”
“I tried to run like a rabbit today,” Andreeva continued, praising the way Sabalenka hit speedy shots. “It was really hard to just keep up, so I just tried my best and that's why I would thank myself, because I think I played a little part (in the win), also," she said.