Mirra Andreeva admitted she used to check the rankings to see if she’d done enough to get a dog (Image: Getty)
Mirra Andreeva has revealed that she is holding out to receive a long-awaited gift from her parents after reaching her ranking goal. The teenager is currently on an 11-match winning streak and is seeking her second consecutive WTA 1000 title after reaching the Indian Wells final.
Despite her recent success, Andreeva’s special present is long overdue. The world No. 11 was meant to get a dog when she first cracked the top 20 back in October, but her mum initially backed out of the deal. However, Andreeva is still hoping for her puppy.
Aged just 17, Andreeva has established herself as a top player. The Russian picked up her biggest career title in Dubai last month and broke the world’s top 10 for the first time.
She carried her great form into Indian Wells, where she is through to the final to face . Now one win away from her second WTA 1000 trophy, Andreeva is still waiting to receive her rewards for breaking into the top 20 last autumn.
During her run in the Californian desert, the world No. 11 revealed that she used to follow her place in the rankings to see if she had done enough to get a puppy.
“Before, I was always checking live rankings, because before, I was playing for a dog. So after every match I play, I would check the live rankings to see if I did it,” the two-time title winner said.
Mirra Andreeva is through to the final in Indian Wells (Image: Getty)
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“But now it’s not that I don’t care, but I try to not focus on that, and I try to focus on the match that I have to play. I like this.
“I would say it’s pretty easy, because I don’t think about the rankings or the points I have to defend if I have to, so I just don’t really follow the rankings or anything, like this is a bit easier for me.”
Explaining the arrangement she had with her parents, Andreeva added: “I was supposed to be top 20 by the end of last year, and I did it when I won against Magda Linette in Beijing.
“I think I was 19 or 18, and I sent the screen shot to my mum. She was like, ‘No’. I’m, like, ‘Yes’. That was the match when I entered the top 20. Yeah, but we’re still waiting for the dog now.”
The 17-year-old remains adamant that she will receive her pooch, though she’s been trying to figure out the best breed to bring on the tour.
“Well, no dog yet, because we’re still kind of thinking what’s gonna be better. I’m thinking to get a girl, because the girls are basically they’re a bit smaller in the size, so it’s gonna be easier to travel with a girl,” she continued.
“I’m thinking to get an ultra mini labradoodle. It’s going to be a Labrador mixed with poodle, and it’s ultra mini, so going to be even smaller than a mini version. It’s going to take time until the dog that I want will be born. We wait for now.”
Andreeva is already expected to reach a new career-high ranking after getting to the final in Indian Wells. If she lifts the title, she will pocket £869k ($1.1m) – enough for as many dogs as she wants.