The last time the women’s National Bank Open (OBN) was held in Toronto, in 2019, Bianca Andreescu finished the tournament with the trophy in her hands. It is an improved version of herself who will present herself in her hometown, on her land, where she has already written history. Something that seemed impossible just a few months ago.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Things have happened over the past three years. A pandemic disrupted the world order, the United States changed its president and the Montreal Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup final.
Meanwhile, Bianca Andreescu has gone from the 4e at the 120e place in the world rankings. Injuries, absences and disappointments have accumulated and marked the young career of the Canadian since her triumph at the United States Open.
“In 2019, I was maybe not the fittest girl on the circuit, I was often injured, confided Andreescu during an interview with The Press. But my mind was so strong that I was able to overcome many hardships. »
It is this strength that notably allowed him to surprise everyone when he returned to the game in Stuttgart in April, six months after playing his last tournament.
Since then, she has competed against some of the best players in the world on both clay and grass, but most importantly, she reached a final at the sixth tournament she played, in Bad Homburg. A feat perhaps surprising for many in the circumstances, but which she believed to be achievable.
“I believed it and I knew it was going to happen at some point. I think I was ready to make a final. »
Stay healthy
While away from the spotlight, the 22-year-old trained extremely hard to be as fit as possible. Obviously, this is part of the job description for top athletes. Nevertheless, the hours spent in the gym and the time allocated to reviewing his rehabilitation program will have been beneficial.
Andreescu reappeared, and a few matches were enough to notice a difference in her game. She had become more agile, more flexible and more enduring.
I feel very good. I feel better than ever.
Bianca Andreescu, during an interview with The Press a few days ago
The idea behind this transformation was to avoid injuries as much as possible and, in such cases, to recover faster. However, in her first match at the San Jose tournament on Tuesday, she lost sharply, in two sets, against Shelby Rogers. The end of the game was painful for Andreescu, who confirmed that he felt back pain.
She will be in Toronto for the National Bank Open, but her preparation was obviously not optimal. Both physically and morally. Especially since this tournament was relatively important, since it was his first competition on hard surface since the Indian Wells tournament last October.
“With what I had done at Wimbledon, I didn’t want to take too much time off before Toronto. I wanted to play games before. »
Eyes on the OBN
Now that his next stop will be in his hometown, Andreescu intends to defend his title in front of fans, family and friends. However, she refuses that conquest becomes her only index of success. “I want to focus on the process, because that’s how I got my best results in the past. I just want to enjoy it and not have any expectations. »
By the way, when it comes to expectations, Andreescu waltzes on a fine line. She doesn’t know how she will be received by Toronto fans three years later.
On the one hand, there is reason to think that since she is still in her phase of return to play and that she remains one of the favorites of the crowd, the fans will be more lenient towards her. On the other hand, since she’s the defending champion and people know she knows how to win, she may be under more pressure than usual.
“I don’t know what to expect. […] Maybe people will expect me to win again, even considering the past few months. Which isn’t a bad thing, because it’s nice that people still believe in me,” she replied.
I would like to arrive without pressure, just having fun and doing my best, but maybe that will not be the case.
Bianca Andreescu
However, one of the only certainties that exists is that it will be difficult for her not to put too much pressure on herself. “I know it’s easy to say, but it’s hard to do. »
Andreescu is still thirsty for victories. With the difference that she now knows how to achieve it and that she no longer does it out of personal ambition, but “for the amateurs, my team, my family and my friends”.
She knows that success can be fleeting. She knows that her body remains fragile. Except that Bianca Andreescu is happier, fulfilled and optimistic than ever. A victory that is not counted in the statistics, but which is possibly his biggest in career so far.