"I actually wanted to quit the sport" - Andreescu opens up on mindset during injury layoff

As she prepares to return to action at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix this week, Bianca Andreescu revealed she had considered hanging up her racket during her injury-plagued 2021 season.

The Canadian missed much of the 2020 season due to the pandemic, and was riddled with injuries last year. When asked how she handled the time off, the 2019 US Open champion admitted she questioned her future in the sport.

"I'm being really honest here, but I actually wanted to quit the sport," Andreescu told WTA Insider this week in Stuttgart. "It was really bad. 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.

"So I realized that I really do love the sport and I do want to continue, but not just to win Grand Slams, or to do this and that. I want to do something bigger in the sport and I want to help contribute to a better world as well. I realize that tennis is my way toward that."

Andreescu will be competing in her first tournament of the year this week in Stuttgart, after opting to delay the start of her season due to mental health concerns.

"I never really felt like I was completely ready [to come back]," the 21-year old told reporters at Media Day in Stuttgart. "I'm not sure that anyone is for sure ready for something.

"But I just felt like my time off was enough. I kind of got tired and bored of not challenging myself on the court. I really missed that fire that I had competing and pushing myself. So I think that was when I thought it would be good to start playing again."