Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu, who won the US Open in 2019, announced Monday that she’s taking a mental break from the sport. Andreescu plans to sit out the start of next season, including the Australian Open in January.
Andreescu stated that she wants to “reset, recover, and grow” after contracting COVID-19 in April 2021. The 21-year old added that she’s been affected mentally and physically due to having to quarantine as a result of COVID-19.
“A lot of days, I did not feel like myself, especially while I was training and/or playing matches. I felt like I was carrying the world on my shoulders,” Andreescu said. “I could not detach myself from everything that was going on off the court; was feeling the collective sadness and turmoil around and it took its toll on me.”
Back in 2019, Andreescu defeated Serena Williams in the US Open final and rose to No. 4 in the WTA rankings. However, in October 2019, Andreescu tore the meniscus in her left knee and was forced to step away from the court for more than a year.
Andreescu did return at the 2021 Australian Open, but lost in the second round. In addition, the 21-year old reached the fourth round of the US Open before falling to Maria Sakkari. She also lost in the opening round in both the French Open and Wimbledon.
“I want to give myself extra time to re-set, recover, and grow from this (as cliché as that sounds) and continue to inspire by doing charity work, giving back and working on myself because I know by doing this, I will come back stronger than ever,” Andreescu wrote. “I will therefore not start my season in Australia this year, but will take some additional time to reflect, train, and be ready for the upcoming 2022 tennis season.”