Mirra Andreeva gave coach Conchita Martinez a birthday gift to remember on Wednesday at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Facing her elder sister, Erika Andreeva, in her tournament debut, Mirra Andreeva advanced to the second round by retirement as her 20-year-old sibling called it quits due to a knee injury when trailing 6-2, 1-0. While the teenager admitted to being “a little bit sad” with how the match ended, earning her first win against her older sister in the process, she perked up when the on-court interviewer brought up former world No. 1 Martinez, who has been coaching Andreeva for nearly a full year.
“I can say for sure that with her it’s more relaxed, even though on the court we work hard and sometimes she’s a bit too tough with me! That I would like to change, by the way!” the affable 17-year-old joked. “If she wouldn’t be that tough with me, I don’t think I would play that well right now, but we have an amazing atmosphere in the team, and I hope she’d agree!”
Read more: How Mirra Andreeva’s coach Conchita Martinez keeps teen star grounded
That free spirit quickly came out as Andreeva grabbed the microphone, literally, to sing “Happy birthday!” to Martinez, who was simultaneously celebrating her 53rd birthday.
