Just a few weeks ago, Bianca Andreescu was musing darkly about the Last Chance Express.
Comebacks. The former world No. 4 and Canada’s only Grand Slam singles champion in tennis has had more than a few. It’s been a Groundhog Day career of injury and health crises since her breakout year in 2019. But how many times can a battered body and soul pick up the pieces and reset before somebody asks the crushing question: Didn’t you used to be …?
“Yeah, that did sound a bit dramatic when I said it,’’ the just turned 25-year-old chuckled on a video conference session with reporters Thursday afternoon.
And it’s not really her at all, that kind of bleak attitude. Nor is exit stage right imminent as the Mississauga-raised Andreescu prepares for the National Bank Open later this month, for which she’s received a wild-card entry.
- Howard Fendrich The Associated Press
It has been wild cards and protected ranking points and the qualifying grind since Andreescu returned to the WTA Tour in April: “It’s definitely not easy because it’s like you’re taking a step back. I know that at this point on the outside it doesn’t look good, but I know this is what I have to go through in order to get back to where I need to be.’’
Andreescu’s restoration to the tour had to be deferred after an emergency appendectomy in the wake of another nine-month absence recovering from a back injury. Injuries are a fact of life for athletes, though few have had to contend with so many sequential absences: injuries — sometimes freakish — to her back, shoulder, knee, ankle and foot, on top of an extended mental health hiatus in 2021.
“I see all these youngsters on tour. I know I’m still young, but I’ve been on tour already for six years. It felt like 15. The older you get, the more difficult it is for your body to heal.’’
Which is why she’s now made significant changes, including diet and nutrition and a laser commitment to fitness: “In the tough moments, I do feel like my body has let me down, but I’m doing my best to love myself as much as I can. It’s not always easy.
“I know that life isn’t fair. Life doesn’t choose favourites. It doesn’t give you free passes.’’
Her life was outlandishly radiant as the teenage ingenue who won Indian Wells and the Rogers Cup and flattened Serena Williams for the U.S. Open championship in that memorable 2019 season, before her career was derailed by injuries and having to overcome repeated setbacks.
“It’s been a lot of stop-and-go for me. Stepping off the court and being away from the game helps in many ways, discovering myself, because when you’re in the hustle and bustle of things you tend to forget. Tennis is what I do, but I never want to forget who I am as a person. In tough moments, especially on tour, if you’re not getting the results you want you can get into this downward spiral. But I feel now like I’ve figured out a way not to get into that darkness.â€
Climbing the ladder again — Andreescu is currently ranked 146th — has also meant coming to terms with where she once stood so that once-upon-a-time brilliance doesn’t throw up emotional obstacles.
“What I realized is that I do have to let go of 2019. Stop chasing 2019 and start owning the moment I’m in right now. Stop thinking about the past and focus on the present. And enjoying it a little bit more, because before I was too focused on getting to the top. That’s a subconscious goal, but it’s not something that I’m working for every day. Just getting better one per cent every day has been helping so, so much, and not chasing the past.’’
- The Associated Press
Andreescu draws encouragement from recent good matches, such as knocking off two top-20 opponents at the Italian Open, including world No. 11 Elena Rybakina, and an immense uptick in her serving stats throughout: “That’s huge because it’s one of the main things I’ve been focusing on. I changed my technique a little bit last year, but I’ve put it into more effect now that I’ve had a long pre-season.’’
She takes inspiration from the similar career trajectory of Amanda Anisimova, a likewise 2019 teen hotshot who afterward contended with serious injury, personal tragedies — the sudden death of her father — and a recent eight-month mental health furlough. Anisimova stunningly knocked off No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday to reach her maiden final at Wimbledon. Anisimova didn’t survive the qualifiers at Wimbledon a year ago.
Andreescu lost to Anisimova in the round of 32 last month in Berlin — “I had a pretty decent match’’ — but it solidified the progress she’s made of late, as did her results against other top-ranked opponents: “It’s a good tell to see where my game is at.’’
Andreescu preaches patience to herself these days, even if patience is at odds with her personality and the ever-present urge to take giant strides lickety-split.
“I don’t want to waste any more time.’’
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