Martinez has appeared to fulfil a few roles: coach, friend, tennis parent. Is that an accurate assessment?
“No, no, no,” said Martinez, shaking her head.
“I’m her coach – that’s the only way. Can you be friends? Yes. We have a great relationship.
“But I’m the one there on the tennis court, changing things and making her improve.
“I’m the one overseeing her whole career. I’m in charge of finding everything around her that will work to make her better player.”
So far it is paying off.
Born in Siberia and trained in France, Andreeva has been touted as a future Grand Slam champion since making her breakthrough as a 15-year-old at the Madrid Open – where her talent and fearlessness caught the eye of Andy Murray.
Martinez says it was clear from the moment she started working with Andreeva last year that the teenager was a superstar in the making.
Her progress under Martinez has been notable.
This season she has already won two WTA 1000 titles – the tier of tournaments below the majors – in Dubai and Indian Wells, helping her climb to a career-high ranking of sixth in the world.
Despite the generational divide, the way Andreeva and Martinez bounce off each other is allowing the player to flourish.
Andreeva shows their mutual affection by teasing Martinez in her post-match interviews, or encouraging a crowd to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her coach., external
But from the conversations with both women it is clear that business comes first.
“The relationship is good, we get along great and she respects my work. For me, that is super important,” said Martinez.
