“I had to withdraw last year,” she reminds me, “so I’m super excited and super pumped to come there for the first time and play on those courts.
“Indian Wells, of course, has the altitude, and so the ball bounces and flies. From what I’ve seen of Miami on TV, it’s a bit faster, so we’re going to see which one I prefer.”
Hearing the fans grow louder, I knew what celebration sounded like. Coke Zero aside, what will celebration look like for athlete who says she has everything?
“Celebration, for me,” she pauses to take in another roar from outside, “will look like spending a lot of time with my family.”
Andreeva barely has time to repeat the admittedly heartwarming sentiment when a security guard cuts our interview short and nudges her toward the door. Gliding away, she takes the five steps onto the grass and officially kicks off the first celebration of what is shaping up to be a breakthrough season.
