"It's not 100%, but I'm really hoping that I can play Indian Wells" - Bianca Andreescu opens up about her comeback plans
Bianca Andreescu has said that she is hoping to return to action at the Indian Wells Masters, which starts on March 6, 2024. She has been nursing a back injury since August 2023 but is optimistic about making a comeback sooner rather than later.
The Canadian took the tennis world by storm in 2019, as she unexpectedly clinched the Indian Wells Masters title by defeating Angelique Kerber in the final. Despite suffering an injury to her right shoulder that kept her out for a few months, Andreescu came back in style, as she clinched both the 2019 Canadian Open and 2019 US Open titles, defeating Serena Williams on both occasions.
However, in the seasons that followed, Andreescu failed to maintain the form that saw her rise to the top of women's tennis in 2019. Even though the Canadian started to show promising signs in 2023, a horrific ankle injury at the Miami Open derailed her season. While she recovered and managed to participate at both the French Open and Wimbledon, a back injury in August cut her season short.
Recently, Andreescu was in attendance at Toronto's NHL All-Star game. TSN caught up with her and asked her about her plans to return to the WTA Tour.
"It's getting there. It's not 100%, but I'm really hoping that I can play Indian Wells", Bianca Andreescu said.
The 23-year-old also shared what she has been doing to ensure a swift recovery.
"A lot of visualization work, meditation, to try to speed up the recovery time. Obviously, with something like this, you can't really speed up anything up, other than rest, so that's what I've been doing,"
Bianca Andreescu has her sights set on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Only time will tell if Bianca Andreescu is fit enough to feature at the Indian Wells Masters. However, one of her priorities for the 2024 season is to be among the Canadian contingent vying for honors at the Paris Olympics.
Andreescu, who attended the Paris media summit of the Canadian Olympic Committee at the end of last year, expressed her frustration at missing out on the Billie Jean King Cup. She said in December 2023, via Reuters:
"I do miss playing and seeing the girls win the Billie Jean Cup too. I really wish I was there. Injuries just suck."
However, the former World No. 4 also shared her motivation to represent Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She added:
"I really have to dig deep next year to get my spot but I've always wanted to play that tournament (Olympics) so I am hoping that will be enough motivation to win as much as I can."