Mirra Andreeva recently opened up about her superstitions around food, a habit her coach, Conchita Martinez, has been trying to manage.

Andreeva began working with Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion, in April last year. The partnership was widely seen as a positive step for the young star’s career from the moment it was announced.

However, Martinez wasn’t Andreeva’s first choice. Former world No. 1 Dinara Safina revealed that Andreeva had initially approached her for the coaching role, but Safina couldn’t commit.

Similarly, three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters shared that Andreeva had also reached out to her. These efforts underscored the 17-year-old’s determination to find a coach with top-level experience.

Since teaming up with Martinez, Andreeva has made impressive strides. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open last year, defeating Aryna Sabalenka along the way. She also claimed her maiden WTA title at the Iasi Open and came close to winning a WTA 500 title at the Ningbo Open, where she narrowly lost to Daria Kasatkina after leading 3-0 in the final set.

The Ningbo final was an emotional moment for Andreeva, who broke down in tears during the post-match ceremony. Kasatkina offered her comfort during the press conference, a gesture Andreeva later reflected on with gratitude.

Andreeva admits she can be a challenging player to coach at times due to her emotional nature and occasional teenage outbursts, which sometimes leave Martinez puzzled.

At the Australian Open, she revealed that her superstitions extend to food, insisting on eating the same meals and snacks during tournaments—a quirk that adds another layer of complexity to their partnership.

“It’s pretty complicated to work with me, because if I start the tournament eating chicken and rice, well, I cannot change after I cannot take pasta or I cannot take anything else. I will always take chicken and rice.”

“If I start like this, I’ve got to continue like this. Even if I’m tired, I have no choice, but I have to eat it. Today I start with dried fruits(for on-court snack) so it is dried fruits for Melbourne this year.”

Despite her efforts to break Andreeva’s food superstitions, Conchita Martinez, the former Wimbledon champion, has ended up embracing them in an unexpected way.

After accidentally spilling some powder on a desk while making one of Andreeva’s recovery shakes, Martinez now deliberately spills a little before preparing every shake as part of their routine.

Andreeva’s age and quirky habits don’t hinder the strong bond she shares with her coach. The Ningbo Open runner-up revealed that she feels at ease expressing her emotions with Martinez.

Their relationship strikes a balance between hard work and fun, creating a supportive and enjoyable dynamic both on and off the court.

“I feel very comfortable telling her everything that happens in my life. I don’t know if she wants to hear it, though! But I’m very comfortable sharing with her everything that’s going on.”

“We let ourselves joke around and have some fun. Of course she’s very professional, she knows when the fun is over and when we need to really put the work in, for example, in a tennis court. When we’re off the tennis court, we can have some fun, but of course we also need to take it serious sometimes.”

Novak Djokovic found himself in an awkward spot during a quiz about his new coach, Andy Murray, leaving the 24-time Grand Slam champion feeling embarrassed.

Djokovic recently added his former rival to his coaching team, with Murray joining him in Melbourne for the Australian Open. However, during the quiz, Djokovic discovered he didn’t know much about his colleague, joking that they needed to “have a chat” after learning about Murray’s favorite athlete.

The tennis world was stunned in late November when Djokovic and Murray announced their high-profile partnership, just months after Murray retired at the Paris Olympics. Murray joined Djokovic for a 10-day pre-season training camp and has traveled to Melbourne to support him during the tournament. The duo spent the past week practicing together, with Murray set to sit in Djokovic’s player box for his opening match.

Before his first match with Murray in his corner, Djokovic took part in a quiz to test how well he knew his new coach. Despite their long-standing relationship—having known each other since childhood and competed on the sport’s biggest stages—Djokovic struggled with the questions. Laura Robson began by asking him to name Murray’s four children, but the world No. 7 was left stumped.

“Oh my god. Jesus. This is not good. This is not a good start. No I can’t. Oh Andy, I’m embarrassed,” he laughed.

Robson tried to help out. “There’s a Sophia, she’s the oldest. Do you know the name of the boy?” she asked. But Djokovic still had no clue.

He replied: “No. I am so embarrassed right now, I’ve got to work on it.” Robson reeled off the names as Djokovic recited them, trying to burn them in his brain.

“Sophia, Edie, Teddy and Lola,” he repeated. The rest of the quiz went a little better – Djokovic knew that Murray had played in 11 Major finals and that his cheat meal involved chocolate.

But he was stunned to learn who Murray said his favourite athlete was during the recent Paris Olympics. “Favourite athlete? I know he appreciates and loves female athletes a not, so was it a female?” Djokovic asked.

Robson revealed that Murray’s favorite athlete was a male tennis player. When Djokovic incorrectly guessed Nadal, she hinted that the person in question was younger.

“Alcaraz?” Djokovic asked as Robson confirmed he was right. The world No. 7 added: “That’s his favourite athlete? Andy, we have to have a chat after this interview! I do understand, that was before he accepted to work with me.”

As he left the interview, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was still in disbelief over not knowing the names of Murray’s children.

“Oh my god, I don’t know the names of his children,” he muttered, before reciting them with Robson again.

Andy Murray humorously remarked that his new role as Novak Djokovic’s coach was part of a plan to prevent the Serbian from claiming another Australian Open title, following several painful losses to Djokovic in Melbourne.

Djokovic’s decision to appoint Murray as his coach was a shocking development that caught tennis fans and analysts off guard. The two were once fierce competitors, having faced each other in seven Grand Slam finals, as well as battles at the Olympics and ATP Finals.

Murray, whose career took a downturn after a serious hip injury in 2016, retired from singles competition following last year’s Olympics. During the Games, he partnered with Dan Evans in doubles, where they saved match points in two matches before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Although Murray lacks prior coaching experience, Djokovic sees him as the ideal mentor, given his familiarity with the pressures of competing at the highest levels against the world’s best players.

While Murray was absent during Djokovic’s participation in the Brisbane International, he joined the Serbian in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open. Their high-profile partnership has already drawn significant media attention.

A report by The Guardian detailed their interactions during Djokovic’s practice set against Carlos Alcaraz, which Djokovic narrowly won 7-5. The pair communicated frequently, discussing details such as Djokovic’s forehand technique and split-step timing. Murray also questioned Djokovic to gain insights into his mental approach during matches.

Djokovic followed the practice set with an exhibition win against Alexander Zverev, adding momentum to his preparations for the season’s first Grand Slam.

During an on-court interview at the Rod Laver Arena with Djokovic and Zverev, Murray joked that his coaching role was part of a plot to sabotage Djokovic after suffering four Australian Open final defeats to him, sparking laughter from the audience.

“I played here a few times. Yeah.. could never get over the line, unfortunately. This man (points to Djokovic) was single-handedly responsible for that. So, I’m now here to sabotage his chances of winning another one.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion adopted a more serious tone when reflecting on how the partnership with Djokovic materialized. While coaching wasn’t something he initially planned to pursue, the chance to collaborate with Djokovic was an opportunity he simply couldn’t resist.

“I was actually playing golf. We’d exchanged messages and missed calls and stuff. Then eventually, I was on the 17th hole of the golf course, and the guy I was playing with said to me, ‘Do you know what’s next?’. I was like, ‘No, not really’. He said ‘Do you have any plans to do any coaching?’ And I said, ‘Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse to do right now.'”

“Then 30 minutes later, I was in the car and I called Novak, and then we had a conversation, and he asked if I would be interested in helping, which I obviously wasn’t expecting. [When the offer came] I spoke to my family, and after a couple of days, I thought that it was a pretty unique opportunity and experience.”

Murray shared that he and Djokovic spent time together during the off-season to evaluate their compatibility before committing to working together through at least the conclusion of the Australian Open.

“I thought it would be a good idea to try it together, and spend some time in the off-season through Australia and see how it goes for both of us, because it’s a little bit different. It’s not the usual kind of set-up, so it made sense to trial it and see if it works. And then we said we’d make a more definitive decision after the tournament.”