Bianca Andreescu felt a sense of urgency.
After years of fighting injuries and making a comeback after a comeback, the 2019 U.S. Open champion knew she needed a radical change to the day when she returned to the top of the tennis world.
“This may be my last chance,” she said of the latest returns. “I don’t want to waste any time.”
After another long absence from the WTA Tour, Andreescu once again succeeded on the court.
It started with a short break in December, and after she underwent emergency appendix surgery in February, it extended to nearly six months of rest.
Now, the 24-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario is back, from her racket to coach to diet.
Andreescu’s physical therapist Antonio Fernandez Cantisano was her outstanding partner and “one-on-one” coach after breaking up with JT Nishimura.
She also overhauled her nutrition, which is gluten-free and dairy-free, and embraced elements of bestselling author David Asprey’s “bullet-resistant diet”, including cutting off high-oxygen vegetables like spinach and kale.
Another change? She has been sober for six months and has not drunk alcohol since December 14.
“I’ve never been a heavy drinker or anything,” she said in a telephone interview in Rome. “I’ve always been a social drinker, like I’m here to provide a glass of wine for certain events.
“There are some things in it, and I said if I really want to come back, I need to come back like I have all my might.”
So far, it has paid off.
Andreescu beat two top 20 opponents at the Italian Open and two top 20 opponents at the Italian Open – showing off her strength and versatile shooting in the first place win of the 11th seed Elena Rybakina before defeating Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng 7-5, 6-1 in four rounds.
The encouraging run also appeared on the clay, when most of her success was on the hard ground.
Zheng scored two fixed points from Andreescu in the opening match, winning the Paris Olympics at Roland-Garros last year. Starting from May 25, the top players have returned to the second Grand Slam of the season and returned to the French Open.
Andreescu couldn’t imagine making these types of sacrifices three years ago, finally living in the legal drinking age of the United States, eager to experience life on and off the court.
She is also a 19-year-old Grand Slam champion.
“I have this self around me,” she said. “Looking back, I didn’t have a chance to do anything. I don’t think it’s my business.”
“I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to be one of those players, those players are frustrating.’”
Now she is one of them, Andreescu feels away from frustration.
The former world fourth place is more confident than ever that she can return to the heights of 2019 – a year that includes a Rodgers Cup defeat of Serena Williams by retiring in Toronto before a breakthrough victory in New York in the 23-time Grand Slam title.
Andreescu is currently ranked 121st, although she is expected to be ranked 100th after running Rome.
“I really don’t get messy anymore,” Andrescu said. “I have never been as dedicated to my craft as I am now.
“Sometimes, our humans need to go through the lowest minimum level to really change, and I think six months of surgery and tour really contributed to that.”
Mental health advocate Andreescu also served as ambassador for Canadian tennis psychological timeout program in 2025. The program was launched in 2022 and aims to promote a healthy tennis environment for Canadians.
She achieved 204-105 in her career, including a 48-7 record in 2019.
In the years since, she has been regularly leaving the court for care, with injuries to her shoulders, knees, ankles and foot.
She admits that sometimes her breakout season feels like a distant memory in the ups and downs.
“I think that was in my life,” she said. “I trusted too much what others said. “Oh, she was a lucky person, and 2019 was the only success she achieved. ”
“I started to believe in those things, but I felt it in the game as well.”
Going back to this form was once her “dream”. Now she calls it a target.
“Now I know what I can do, and I know the U.S. Open isn’t in my life,” she said. “Not looking back and saying, ‘Oh, that’s great, ‘Now I have the narrative, ‘Yes, that’s good, but I know I can do it again.’
“Yes, yes, being able to lift that weird trophy again. I really believe that.”
