Shocking the tennis world with a Grand Slam win at the US Open in 2019, Bianca Andreescu’s pro career got off to a red-hot start, with the Canadian reaching a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world.
The years since have not gone as smoothly, though, with Andreescu missing a lot of action due to injury. In fact, the last time the 23-year-old suited up for a tournament was at the National Bank Open in Montreal, over four months ago.
When asked about her current injury status at an Olympic event in Montreal last week, Andreescu told Daily Hive that she’s still taking things one day at a time, confirming her absence at the upcoming Australian Open.
“Things are not perfect just yet,” the Mississauga native explained. “I’m taking it day by day. I definitely won’t be playing the Australian Open. I’m trying to stay as positive as I can, you know… It’s not easy.”
Nevertheless, Andreescu, who withdrew from the 2023 US Open due to a stress fracture in her back, is hopeful that she will be able to compete and represent Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games next summer.
When asked if we can expect to see her in a tournament before then, she confirmed that to be part of the plan.
“Yes, 100% because I need to get my ranking up to be able to qualify. So I need to get back as soon as I can,” she said. “Obviously, I don’t want to rush anything. But yeah, I’m also eager to start playing. I don’t like just watching everybody play and I can’t.”
One thing that’s helped Andreescu manage her focus on and off the court in recent years is meditation — something she picked up from her mom.
“I love meditating and doing visualization exercises. My mom introduced me back when I was like 13 to it. So I’ve been pretty consistent with it since then,” Andreescu, who defeated Serena Williams twice in a tournament final, explained. “It’s an incredible tool and it’s helped me a lot through injuries.”
But when it comes to getting back into the grind and rhythm of professional tennis, she is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead.
“Doing it in your head is obviously different than actually being on the court and competing.”
And Olympic tennis will bring a new set of hurdles to overcome, especially since she was forced to back out of the last Summer Games in Tokyo due to pandemic-related challenges.
“Not being able to play in that one absolutely sucked,” she said bluntly. “Now I can, you know, start fresh and hopefully I’ll be healthy and I’ll be able to really, really enjoy it this time.”
Likely tired of watching from the sidelines, she is hoping to make her dream a reality. If all goes well this time around, though, she’ll be able to add Olympian to her already-long list of accolades.
“I’ve watched the Olympics for many, many years. I’ve always dreamt of playing, so it’ll be really fun.”
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