“I feel like I could have benefited from some guidance after US Open win”: Bianca Andreescu reflects on challenges of winning big too soon

Canada’s Bianca Andreescu has spoken about the challenges of winning a Grand Slam at an early age. The 25-year-old broke onto the scene in 2019 when she lifted the US Open after beating the former world number one Serena Williams in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-5.

Before that title-winning campaign, Andreescu never managed to get past the second round of a Grand Slam. The year 2019 was a special one for Andreescu, who won all three major titles in her career in those 12 months. Before winning the US Open, Andreescu lifted the Indian Wells title after beating another former world number one, Angelique Kerber, in the final with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

She lifted the Rogers Cup in Toronto as well, where she got the better of Serena, who was forced to retire from the final. Since then, however, not much has gone right for Andreescu, largely because of consistent injuries. She has failed to get past the fourth round of any Grand Slam ever since lifting the US Open.

In 2025, she featured in the qualifying round of two out of the four major events, where on both occasions, she failed to qualify for the main draw. Andreescu recently featured in the qualifying round of the Wuhan Open, where she won the first match but lost in the second to Anastasia Zakharova.

Before participating in the qualifying round, Andreescu spoke to Tennis 365, where she detailed the challenges of winning a Grand Slam at such a young age. Andreescu admitted that the lack of guidance at that point did not help her. Andreescu also highlighted that playing at such a young age with no experience and low expectations helped her achieve a lot of success, something that has changed drastically ever since she lifted that elusive major title at the age of 19.

“Having success at any age is difficult, but when you are a teenager and you a skyrocketing, that’s not easy,” said Andreescu. “I definitely feel like I could have benefited from some guidance after the US Open win. And maybe things would work differently, but I’m also a big believer in learning from your mistakes. That’s how you get better as a person.”

Andreescu was then asked about her playing levels and whether she is closer to returning to her very best. In response, Andreescu stated that she understands the difficulties in reaching her previous levels after suffering numerous injuries and is working towards it, slowly but surely.

“It’s just so different,” said Andreescu. “I’m such a different person in 2019 because back then, I had zero expectations. Nobody really knew me back then and I didn’t have any responsibility. So much has changed since, and obviously, not playing the 2020 season, that was a long time to be out and it takes time to get back to your best after big injuries. I’m really happy with the person I am today and I’m not necessarily chasing what I had in 2019. What I’m trying to do is work out how I can get back to those results.”

Andreescu was also asked about how she feels while competing in the qualifying round of different events, such as the Wuhan Open, especially after winning a Grand Slam at such a young age. In response to that, Andreescu admitted that playing in the qualifying round feels like a ‘blow’ to the ‘ego’, but she is eager to put that ‘on one side’ to focus on achieving bigger goals.

“It is certainly a blow to the ego, but I have to put that to one side,” said Andreescu. “It was many years ago that I won the US Open and so much has happened since then. I still have big ambitions. I know what I can accomplish. So finding that balance of being patient and being that go-getter that I am to try and get back to the top is a bit tricky. The problem is that I have been so on and off (with injuries) that I don’t have much rhythm in my playing style. That is going to be a big thing to get back to the top. In tennis, it’s literally a point here, a point there, and if you can really sharpen those instincts during those times, I think it’ll make a great difference, but it’s definitely not easy for sure.”