Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, will take a mental break from tennis and will sit out at the beginning of next season, including the Australian Open, including COVID-19.
The 21-year-old from Canada wrote in a post on Twitter that she was emotionally and physically affected by “several weeks in isolation quarantine” and that her grandmother’s stay of several weeks in the intensive care unit of a hospital because of the coronavirus really hit me hard. “
“Many days I didn’t feel like myself, especially while training and / or playing games. I felt like I was carrying the world on my shoulders, ”said Andreescu.
“I couldn’t break away from everything that was going on outside of the square; felt the collective sadness and turmoil, and it took its toll on me. “
Andreescu joins other professional athletes who have cited the need to take time out from competition in order to recover mentally, including Naomi Osaka, a four-time major title winner and former tennis No. 1 player. Osaka took a break after being eliminated from the French Open in May and again for the remainder of the season after losing the US Open in September.
Andreescu was 19 when she crowned a landmark season in the US Open final two years ago by pissing off her idol Serena Williams. Soon after, Andreescu rose to fourth place in the career best in the WTA rankings.
But in October 2019 she tore the meniscus in her left knee and was away from the tour for about 15 months. Andreescu returned at this year’s Australian Open, where Williams gave this assessment: She has a bright future.
She is really young; pretty unbelievably grown up. I’ve always said I think her lights are on. She really has a great game to keep winning more Grand Slams. “
Andreescu won their opening game in Melbourne, but then lost in the second round. She ended up 4-4 in Grand Slam tournaments in 2021, including a fourth-round run at the US Open and a first-round elimination at the French Open and Wimbledon.
That was part of a total of 17-12 brand on tour without a title this season, ranking it 46th in 2022. She said in April that she had tested positive for COVID-19. In June, she announced that after four years together, she would no longer be trained by Sylvain Bruneau. What Andreescu left unclear on Monday was when she will be on trial again.
– Bianca (@Bandreescu_) December 6, 2021
“I want to give myself extra time to realign myself, relax and grow from it (clichéd as it sounds) and continue to inspire by doing charity work, giving back and working on myself because I know that is how I become Coming back stronger than ever, “she wrote.
“I will therefore not start my season in Australia this year, but will take a little more time to reflect, train and be ready for the upcoming tennis season in 2022.”
“Freelance pop culture practitioner. Proud social media scholar. Total travel fanatic. Food maven. Coffee specialist.”
