After missing out on the 2020 season with a knee injury, Canadian world No.7 Bianca Andreescu, confirmed she will be fit and ready to play at the 2021 Australian Open.
Andreescu told Tennis Majors website that she was “doing really well,” advising that she wanted to take some time away from tennis and was “perfectly healthy.”
“The virus kind of pushed me back and some little personal things here and there, but right now I’m good, I’m training hard… I’m really looking forward to 2021.”
After a blazing 2019 season, breaking onto the tennis scene winning 3 titles and 1 runner’s up medal, Andreescu announced herself as a future superstar of the game.
And the 20-year-old got the season off to an impressive start at the Auckland International, coming runner up to Julia Gӧrges of Germany.
She then went onto be crowned the ‘Queen of the Desert’, defeating Angelique Kerber to win the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March, but her best was still yet to come.
She followed her Indian Wells success with back-to-back triumphs on home turf at the Canadian Open, and going one better to win her first major championship at the U.S. Open a week later.
Only dropping 2 sets throughout the tournament, Andreescu tore through the competition at Flushing Meadows, ultimately facing off against 23-time major winner Serena Williams in the final, winning 6-3 7-5.
However, the Canadian’s ripper of a year ended painfully, with Andreescu having to retire during her second group stage game against Karolina Pliskova at the Shiseido WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
Andreescu was 2-1 up in the first set when she awkwardly twisted her knee lunging to defend a wide shot from the Czech.
Striking some immediate concern to those watching on, it looked as though the Andreescu had damaged her meniscus and while the Canadian gallantly tried to play through the pain, she ultimately had to retire.
Following a lengthy period on the sidelines, Andreescu announced in August that she had taken the decision to not return to the court for the remainder of the year.
“I have taken this step in order to focus on my match fitness and ensure that I return ready to play at my highest level,” Andreescu said in an Instagram post.
“However, I realize the unforeseen challenges, including the Covid pandemic, have compromised my ability to prepare and compete to the highest degree necessary to play at my highest level.”
But it appears Andreescu has now fully recovered from her knee injury, with the world No.7 confirming that she’s back training in preparation for the 2021 season.
“I’m perfectly healthy. I just really wanted to take time to build everything in my life, and I think this time off really helped me do that.“
“I wouldn’t say I am ready tomorrow to play a match because I am taking it step by step, but maybe in a couple of weeks I will be good,” she added.
☺️☺️ pic.twitter.com/GdoEj4U2yv
— Bianca (@Bandreescu_) October 28, 2020
And the 2019 U.S. Open Champion has stirred some excitement among fans, confirming that she is a cert to join the star-studded list of players set to attend the 2021 Australian Open.
Hopefully next year we’ll see Andreescu build on her 2019 success.
“I’m waiting for 2021, that’s going to be the year.”
“Bianca Andreescu” by Carine06 // https://www.flickr.com/photos/43555660@N00/40092596742 // licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/Download permissions
2 comments