Bianca Andreescu reacts to Billie Jean King wishing luck to Canadian team ahead of Billie Jean King Cup
Bianca Andreescu has reacted to Billie Jean King wishing the Canadian team good luck ahead of the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup.
Launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation, the Billie Jean King Cup is the top international team event for women's tennis. The tournament's 2022 edition is scheduled to run from November 8 to November 13.
In light of this, tennis legend Billie Jean King wished the Canadian team luck in a video posted by Tennis Canada's official Instagram account.
"Team Canada, it's your time. You have the brightest of futures. Make Canada proud," King said.
Former US Open champion Andreescu took to Instagram to share her reaction to this, using a couple of emojis to express her feelings.
The Canadian women's team will be led by Leylah Fernandez and Andreescu at the Billie Jean King Cup finals next month in Glasgow, Scotland. Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, will compete in the tournament for the first time since 2019. The team also includes Rebecca Marino, Gabriela Dabrowski, and Carol Zhao.
"I actually wanted to quit the sport" - Bianca Andreescu
Bianca Andreescu previously admitted that she wanted to give up tennis due to both physical injuries and mental health struggles in the last few years.
The Canadian spoke candidly about how bad the situation was for her mentally in an interview with the WTA ahead of her Stuttgart Open campaign.
"I'm being really honest here, but I actually wanted to quit the sport," Andreescu said, adding, "It was really bad. I am privileged in a way for having this opportunity and doing all of this. Now I'm very grateful, more than ever. So I don't want people to think, 'Oh you're a little baby, just suck it up.' But it was an accumulation of two-and-a-half years. A lot had happened and I just didn't want to deal with anything anymore."
But as time went on, she came to realize her love for the sport and decided that she wanted to keep playing not just to win Grand Slams but also to "contribute to a better world."
"So I realized that I really do love the sport and I do want to continue, but not just to win Grand Slams, or to do this and that. I want to do something bigger in the sport and I want to help contribute to a better world as well. I realize that tennis is my way toward that," Andreescu said.
Bianca Andreescu is currently competing in the Guadalajara Open, where she defeated Jil Teichmann and former World No.1 Petra Kvitova in the first two rounds to advance to the round of 16.