Mirra Andreeva explained why she chose to change her outfit during her match against Iga Swiatek at the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
17-year-old Andreeva recorded yet another impressive win in Indian Wells this year. After beating Elena Rybakina, the Russian teenager also outplayed Iga Swiatek.
At the moment, the teenage sensation is on an 11-match winning streak, and four of those wins came against Rybakina and Swiatek (she beat both players twice).
She beat Swiatek 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 to reach the final of the tournament, and as the score suggests, the match was a proper rollercoaster played in tricky conditions.
The conditions are usually tricky in Indian Wells, mostly because of the wind. However, it tends to get relatively cold at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden as well, especially during the evening matches.
That was the case also during Andreeva’s match against Swiatek. After losing the second set, the Russian headed to the toilet and returned in a different outfit.
Instead of wearing a bright orange tank top, Andreeva came back in a long-sleeved black top. After the match, she was asked whether the cold weather impacted her level in the second set.
The Russian player explained that she felt she was getting cold, and since she likes to stay warm during the matches, she chose to change her outfit.
“Yes, it was a bit tough because the first set, we had sunny weather. Okay, it was windy, but we had sun. Then, in the second set, I felt like I started to feel a little cold. Then, after I lost the second set, I just decided to go and change into a long sleeve because I felt like it’s going to be more comfortable to play like this.”
Andreeva also said that she had the feeling that she played much better once she changed her outfit. She felt better when she was kept warm, and that helped her in the third set, which she won to win the match.
“It’s always better to stay warm. So I just decided to change into something a bit more warm. I feel like, I felt much better playing with a long sleeve. Maybe I should have done that a bit earlier, but it’s fine.”
Having this experience with the weather, Andreeva will now know much better how to prepare for her final match against Aryna Sabalenka. She lost to the Belarusian twice this year, and she will want to avenge those losses in this WTA 1000 final.
