Bianca Andreescu's staggering confession after return to tennis
Canadian tennis sensation Bianca Andreescu has revealed she contemplated quitting the sport entirely in a candid interview to mark her long-awaited return to the court.
The 21-year-old has taken time out of the game since last October, with the arduous task of travelling in and out of various Covid-19 bubbles, as well as her grandmother's difficult battle after catching the virus herself, taking too much of a toll.
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That, combined with a troublesome knee injury that limited her throughout 2021, prevented the 2019 US Open champion from performing at her best.
Andreescu skipped the Australian Open, but made a triumphant return to the court in Germany with a straight-sets win over Jule Niemeier in Stuttgart.
Speaking to WTA Insider before her return at the Porsche Grand Prix tournament, Andreescu said a few years in tour, particularly amid the Covid-19 pandemic, had proven to be exhausting.
As a result, Andreescu said she had pondered drastic measures.
“I’m being really honest here, but I actually wanted to quit the sport, it was really bad," she said.
“I am privileged in a way for having this opportunity and doing all of this.
“Now I’m very grateful, more than ever, so I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh you’re a little baby, just suck it up.’
“But it was an accumulation of two-and-a-half years.
“A lot had happened and I just didn’t want to deal with anything anymore.”
Having reached a career-high ranking of world No.4, Andreescu has a long way to go to return to the top echelon of tennis, having dropped to No.121 in her near six month absence from the sport.
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The former US Open champ is excited to be back on the court, having rediscovered her passion for the sport.
For Andreescu, finding a way to maintain that passion has become key - and putting less pressure on herself for grand slam success is central to her new mindset.
“But not just to win Grand Slams, or to do this and that,” she said.
“I want to do something bigger in the sport and I want to help contribute to a better world as well.
“I realise that tennis is my way toward that.
“But I’m very, very excited to play again.
“The last couple of months have been quite difficult, but I feel like as cliche as that sounds, I’ve found myself and really developed a stronger passion for this game.
“I’ve realised I truly love the sport.”
Andreescu announced she would miss the 2022 Australian Open late last year, revealing on social media that the brutal travel schedule had started to add up.
Fans were dismayed that she didn't play in Australia, however her long-awaited return was clearly worth the wait.
"I want to give myself extra time to re-set, recover, and grow from this ... and continue to inspire by doing charity work, giving back and working on myself because I know by doing this I will come back stronger than ever," she said last December.
"I will therefore not start my season in Australia this year but will take some additional time to reflect, train and be ready for the upcoming 2022 tennis season."
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