The Canadian said she had been affected mentally and physically by “being in isolation for several weeks” and her grandmother’s battle with COVID in the hospital
Washington Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, will take a mental break from tennis and sit out at the start of next season, including the Australian Open, saying she wants to “reset, recover and grow” after a two-year challenge. That included getting COVID-19.
The 21-year-old from Canada wrote in a posting on Twitter that she had been mentally and physically affected by “several weeks in isolation and that her grandmother’s several weeks in the hospital’s intensive care unit due to the coronavirus” really hit ” Was. I’m hard.” “For days, I didn’t feel like myself, especially when I was training and/or playing matches. I felt like I was carrying the world on my shoulders,” Andreescu said.
“I couldn’t separate myself from everything that was going on outside the court; I was feeling the collective sadness and turmoil and it took its toll on me.”
Andreescu joins other professional athletes who have cited the need for time away from competition to mentally assemble themselves – for example, four-time major title winner Naomi Osaka and former No. 1-ranked player in tennis. Osaka took a break after pulling out of the French Open in May and again sitting for the remainder of the season after her loss at the US Open in September.
Andreescu was 19 when she finished a successful season two years earlier by upset her idol Serena Williams in the finals of the US Open. Soon after, Andreescu reached a career-best No. 4 in the WTA rankings.
But in October 2019, she tore the meniscus in her left knee and was away from the tour for almost 15 months.
Andreescu returned to action at this year’s Australian Open, where Williams offered this assessment: “He has a bright future. He’s really young; rather incredibly mature. I’ve always said that I think of his light.” Burns fast. He has a really great game to continue winning more Grand Slams.”
Andreescu won her first match in Melbourne, then lost in the second round. She went 4-4 at Grand Slam tournaments in 2021, including a fourth-round run at the US Open and first-round exits at the French Open and Wimbledon.
This was part of a 17–12 aggregate on the Tour without a title this season, bringing their ranking to 46 in 2022.
She said in April that she had tested positive for COVID-19. In June, she announced that she would no longer be coached by Sylvain Bruno after being together for four years.
Andreescu did not clarify on Monday when she would return to court.
“I want to give myself the extra time to re-set, recover and grow from it (as it seems) and continue to inspire by doing charity work, giving back and working on myself because I know That by doing this, I will come back stronger than ever,” she wrote.
“So I will not start my season in Australia this year, but will take some extra time to reflect, train and prepare for the upcoming 2022 tennis season.”
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