Bianca Andreescu trains at Mouratoglou Academy

The 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu works hard on her comeback, hitting the practice court at the newly-opened Mouratoglou Tennis Center Jumeirah in Dubai.

World no. 7 is determined to enter the Australian Open draw in February, skipping the entire 2020 season and looking eager to compete again. A couple of days after withdrawing from Roland Garros, Bianca called it a season and remained on the practice court ahead of the new season. The Canadian spent some time in Monte Carlo before heading to Dubai, increasing the pace of her practice sessions following that nasty knee injury and hoping to get at her best by January.

Andreescu still owns her 2019 points thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, having an excellent starting position in her quest for significant victories and titles once she returns. The 20-year-old Mississauga native hasn't played a match in 2020, suffering a knee injury at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen last November against Karolina Pliskova. Ranked 208th, an 18-year-old Andreescu lost in the opening qualifying round at the US Open 2018.

Twelve months later, the Canadian arrived in New York as one of the players to beat, winning titles in Indian Wells and Toronto and overcoming a nasty shoulder injury from Miami to deliver her best tennis and write history. Competing in her first US Open main draw as world no. 15, Bianca defeated seven opponents to become the first Major champion from Canada, defeating the six-time winner Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 39 minutes in the title clash.