"When I started losing, I didn't know what was happening": Andreescu discusses lonely journey after initial career success

Bianca Andreescu has commented on the solitary life of tennis players and her struggles with injuries.

The 22-year-old athlete has had challenging years since winning the US Open in 2019. Injuries have been a constant throughout Bianca Andreescu's career, and this year she suffered a severe ankle injury during her match against Ekaterina Aleksandrova in the round of 16, which forced her to withdraw from the tournament.

“First of all, it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” says Andreescu. “And second, I was thinking: ‘Why me? Why again?’ and in Miami too, every time I’m in Miami – 2019, 2021, 2023, I’m playing really good tennis, and then I get injured,” Andreescu said.

“I just tried my best to stay positive. It wasn’t easy. But at one point, I felt a sense of peace, that it was supposed to happen in a way,” she added.

Last year, the Canadian player decided to take a break for her mental health and volunteered at a shelter for victims of domestic violence. She mentioned that her self-esteem was strongly tied to the results she achieved on the tennis court.

“I started at age seven, we kind of identify ourselves as a sports person. And we kind of forget about the human being,”

“As a young athlete, I was doing really, really well in the juniors, ITFs. And then my first year in the pros, I won the freaking US Open. I knew what it was to win, basically,” claimed Andreescu.

“And then when I started losing, I didn’t know what was happening in a way. I didn’t know how to deal with it. I was shocked, which was really weird because people are losing every single week in tennis. And now I know how it feels. I’ve been through it and I’m glad that I did because I was able to realise that if I want to have a long career, I can’t continue like that.”

“There are more important things out there than winning or losing or even just playing tennis. I’m very grateful to play but having food on the table is more important, amazing parents, supportive friends, little things like that. Thinking about that has really helped me shift my perspective,” former world No. 4 said.

Bianca Andreescu commented on the situation of American tennis player Amanda Anisimova, who recently decided to take a break for mental health reasons.

“It takes a lot of guts to do something like that. For me it took a lot because you’re not only thinking about yourself, but you have to think about everybody else around you and to be able to take that step is incredible. So I condone her for that. And I think it’s probably going to be the best decision she’s ever made,” Andreescu added.

“You’re alone out there, you’re alone on the court, you don’t have anyone really helping you. It’s like a lonely, lonely journey in a way. But if you try to find love in the process, that’s the most important thing, basically, love and appreciation.”

Since her return to the tennis court in the clay season, Andreescu has participated in the Madrid Open and Rome Open, experiencing first-round defeats against Wang Xiyu and Marketa Vondrousova, respectively. Her debut match at the French Open is scheduled for Tuesday against former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka.