"I don't feel like my body is 23 years old" says Bianca Andreescu ahead of comeback after injury-hit career

Bianca Andreescu reflected on her string of injuries as she prepares for her comeback at the 2024 Rabat Grand Prix, scheduled to take place between May 19th and May 25th, 2024. The former US Open champion will return to the Tour after nine months off the courts, just before the French Open.

The former world No. 4 last played at the Canadian Open in August 2023, where Camila Giorgi eliminated her in the first round. Following the tournament, she was forced to end her season due to ongoing back problems that had been plaguing her for months.

Since her remarkable 2019 breakthrough that propelled her to the forefront of the tennis world, Andreescu has struggled to maintain the level of play that saw her finish the year as world No. 5 with a record of 37-7 (84%). Since then, she has not won any titles and has only reached two finals: the 2021 Miami Open and the 2022 Bad Homburg Open, falling short of expectations.

The back injury has not been her only setback; in 2020, she was hampered for months by a knee issue that continued to trouble her in 2021. Additionally, her heartbreaking exit from the court in a wheelchair during the 2023 Miami Open after suffering an ankle injury while playing against Ekaterina Alexandrova remains vivid in memory.

"I totally don't feel like my body is 23 years old because of all the injuries; I've been very unlucky. The universe likes to test us in different ways. The hardest test of my life is dealing with physical injuries, in addition to the mental health problems, which in a way go hand in hand,” she said.

“I don't regret any of them; I have learned a lot about myself through the challenges I have had to face more than through the victories and happy times," Andreescu added during her interview with Match Point Canada.

Andreescu is currently ranked world No. 229, but her extended time away from the courts due to injury will allow her to use her protected ranking for several months, enabling her to enter the French Open and Wimbledon without having to go through qualifying.