Mirra Andreeva reveals how LeBron James' 'champions' mindset fueled her Indian Wells title triumph

Mirra Andreeva expressed her admiration for LeBron James following her triumph at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open earlier on Sunday (March 16). The Russian revealed that a motivational quote by the four-time NBA champion has gone a long way in ensuring her recent success.

Andreeva first announced herself on the tennis scene with a semifinal appearance at the 2024 French Open last June. Although the 17-year-old didn't make a dent in the big tournaments for the remainder of the year, she finally came into her own in 2025 by winning two of the first three WTA 1000 tournaments of the season so far.

As a result of her Indian Wells triumph last week, Mirra Andreeva etched her name in tennis history as she became the second-youngest woman to beat the top-2 ranked players (Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, Aryna Sabalenka in the final) at a single event in back-to-back matches. During an interview with Tennis Channel following her title victory, the teen prodigy attributed her run to LeBron James - who is known for his unwavering determination.

The newly-minted World No. 6 disclosed that before the women's singles title match in Indian Wells, she had caught up with an interview of the Los Angeles Lakers forward where he claimed that being "100% mentally" was a prerequisite for high-level performance.

"I was listening to the interview of LeBron James and he was saying that, 'Even if you don't play your 100%, or even if you don't feel like you're there 100% physically, I'm gonna choose to be 100% mentally,'" Mirra Andreeva told Tennis Channel. "And he said that that's what makes us champions, so I kind of tried to do the same."

Andreeva added that although the process was slow, she eventually internalized James' teachings.

"It didn't really work in the beginning but then, with some time, in the end, I managed to kind of overcome that," she said. "So, I really try and go for my shots, and act like one of the legends."

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Mirra Andreeva was also inspired by Roger Federer during Indian Wells title-winning campaign

Mirra Andreeva celebrates after winning Indian Wells title | Image Source: Getty

Last week, Mirra Andreeva disclosed that Roger Federer was on her mind midway through her BNP Paribas Open quarterfinal win against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina. The Russian inferred through her comments that she found the Swiss maestro's killer instinct to be inspiring.

"I think everyone feels nervous but it just depends on how you manage it! And today, I was facing a lot of breakpoints and I just told myself 'people are expecting me to be like a champion so try to act like one,'" Andreeva said during her on-court interview after beating Svitolina. "When I was returning, I was trying to remember Roger Federer in my mind and go for my shots. That’s how I deal with the pressure points."

The teen phenom will next play at the Miami Open this week, marking her debut at the WTA 1000 tournament in Florida.