When Mirra Andreeva made history in Dubai three months ago by becoming the youngest WTA 1000 champion in series history, the then 17-year-old famously thanked herself in her victory speech.
“Last but not least, I would like to thank me. I know what I have been dealing with so I want to thank me for always believing in me, I want to thank me for never quitting and always dealing with the pressure,” Andreeva told the crowd at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium during the trophy ceremony.
Three weeks later, she enjoyed another stunning run at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, where she defeated world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
She once again thanked herself during her speech. It’s not always easy for athletes to take a step back and give credit to themselves and Andreeva’s words struck a chord with many people watching.
The affable teenager realises there could be a deeper meaning behind her speech. But she is also candid about what inspired her to say those words, and she confessed her reasoning was not that deep.
“I will be honest, I didn't think of how important it is to thank yourself. I just saw an interview of Snoop Dogg before playing a final and I was like, ‘OK, if I win, I might just say that’, and that's what I did,” Andreeva said recently in Madrid.
When Snoop Dogg received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 2018, the American rapper famously wrapped up his speech by paying tribute to himself. “My first thought was, ‘Oh, it would be cool if I say the same’,” admitted Andreeva.
Andreeva has many standout qualities as a tennis player, her creative game earning her countless fans across the globe, ever since she broke through on the WTA tour as a 15-year-old at the Madrid Open.
But it is perhaps her authenticity that is the most likeable thing about her. So often in conversation, Andreeva can surprise you, her earnestness allowing her to share an unfiltered version of her personality.
When she reached the last-16 in Madrid on her tour-level debut two years ago, she said the most special thing about being at the Caja Magica was being able to dine with some of the biggest stars on tour.
“You see Andy Murray … you see his face and he’s so beautiful in life. He’s so amazing,” she gushed.
Her surprise run that tournament caught the eye of former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who reached out to the Russian teenager to congratulate her.
“I was super shocked that a Grand Slam champion texted me. And I was like, ‘Mom, did you see?’ I was super excited. And I still remember that moment,” Andreeva recalls.
During her first Australian Open main draw appearance last year, Andreeva rallied back from 1-5 down in the final set of her third round to defeat Diane Parry in a deciding tiebreak.
Murray was watching on TV and hailed Andreeva’s mental strength in a post on social media. She got the tweet framed and says she keeps it on her bedside table.
“I even have the photo on my phone. It's like on my wallpaper,” she beamed, reciting the content of the tweet verbatim. “I remember this tweet, like exactly how he wrote it.”
In the span of two years, Andreeva has gone from being a starry-eyed new kid on the block to becoming a household name herself, and she enters this week’s Roland Garros ranked a career-high No 6 in the world and perched nicely at No 3 in the Race to the WTA Finals.
The French Open is where Andreeva made her Grand Slam debut in 2023, and it’s the site of her best major result so far, having reached the semi-finals on Parisian clay 12 months ago.
The Roland Garros venue is also where Andreeva won a silver medal in doubles, alongside Diana Shnaider, at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“When I came here and my first practice was with Diana, so we came here and I think our first thought was it's like we never left. The time passed super quickly, and the memories are amazing,” Andreeva told reporters at Roland Garros on Friday.
“My first practice was with her, and we just kind of had some flashbacks practising on Philippe Chatrier Court. Yeah, the memories were great, and I always remember the time with a smile on my face. I think that it was a great experience for us.”
In Dubai in February, Andreeva knocked out three Grand Slam champions – Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek – en route to the title. She beat Rybakina and Swiatek again at her very next tournament, clinching the Indian Wells crown with a brave final performance against Sabalenka.
Her preparations for the French Open included back-to-back runs to the quarter-finals in Madrid and Rome, losing to Coco Gauff on both occasions, and Andreeva is high up on many pundits’ lists of top contenders for the title in Paris.
She opens her Roland Garros campaign on Tuesday against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and owns a 7-1 record in Grand Slam first-round matches.
Given her soaring success this year, Andreeva has felt a shift in how she’s being received in the locker room and around tournaments.
“I start to notice that a lot of people call me by my name, not just like, ‘Hey, how are you?’ They say, ‘Hey, Mirra’. So it feels nice,” she said with a smile.
“I feel like a lot more players kind of, not recognise me, but they got to know me more, as well. So I also get to meet new people and talk to new people. It's just nice to to meet new people.
“Sometimes I just didn't expect people to come and just have a chitchat with me or just ask how I am and all this stuff. So it's nice that people, they get to know me more, and I also start to get to know more people.”
A noticeable improvement in Andreeva’s game has been her serve, which has become an underrated weapon.
She hit 202kmph against Swiatek at Indian Wells, and says crossing the 200 threshold is something she hopes to achieve more frequently.
“We worked a lot during the pre-season on my serve. We worked a lot on jumping higher, on jumping more active with the legs, to be faster with the arm, those small details,” she explains. “I'm just super happy that the work that we did is paying off now.
“I wouldn't say that it comes naturally to me because, for example, when I was younger, I was always the smallest one. So my serve was super average. I had a good kick serve, good spin, that's the only thing I could do and I was not a great server when I was playing juniors.”
Andreeva has just turned 18 and is the second-youngest player in the Roland Garros women’s main draw. She may be young but having been highly-touted since she was 15, Andreeva feels experienced when it comes to handling the pressure of expectations.
She has a brilliant coach in her corner in the form of ex-Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez and uses all available tools at her disposal to work on her mindset, even watching YouTube videos of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant interviews to help develop a killer instinct.
She has followed a simple approach since her triumph in Dubai.
“Someone told me not to think about anything else but just the point that you're playing right now and you just have to focus on a point that is going on,” she says.
“If it didn't go your way, you forget it happened and then you start to focus from zero again on the point that you have to play. And that's how I try to play in Dubai and Indian Wells and every tournament I play, that if the point didn't go my way, I just forget it happened and I just try to focus from zero to win the next one.”
It is fair to say she can cause some serious damage in Paris if she sticks to that mentality.
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
Teaching in coronavirus times
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Benevento (Kick-off 11.45pm)
Saturday Crotone v Spezia (6pm), Torino v Udinese (9pm), Lazio v Verona (11.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Atalanta v Fiorentina (6pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6pm), Bologna v Roma (6pm), Genoa v Juventus (9pm), AC Milan v Parma (11.45pm)
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Wonka
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE%20HOLDOVERS
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
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