"Why the F can't I close this?" - Bianca Andreescu reveals hilarious inner monologue after letting slip 4 match points against Victoria Azarenka
Bianca Andreescu shed light on her mindset during her tense battle with Victoria Azarenka in the first round of the French Open.
Andreescu staged an impressive comeback after losing the first set and going down 1-3 in the second to notch her first win on clay this season. The Canadian claimed a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory after converting her fifth match point to close out the tightly-contested two hour and 30 minute long encounter.
During the post-match press conference, The 22-year-old recalled her inner monologue after losing four match points. Andreescu said she questioning why she couldn't close out the match and lamented her poor record in tiebreaks.
"Why the F can't I close this out right now? Does God really want me to go through another 7-6'er? I don't think I have a good 7-6 record this year, so I was hoping not to go there," Andreescu said.
The Canadian admitted that she was trying to regain her composure after being too "hyped up" during the first three match points.
"But I was just trying to stay as calm as possible because I was really hyped up at that time because I was one point away from winning the match. So I really had to calm myself down because I felt like I was too excited on the three that I lost. Obviously, she played well," she added.
Andreescu emphasized that landing her first serve in during the fifth match point was the key to her victory.
"But I was praying to put my first serve in the court, and it did work, so I think that was the key," she said.
"My fighting spirit is back, so that feels nice" - Bianca Andreescu after French Open 1R win over Victoria Azarenka
Bianca Andreescu admitted that despite a good start to the match, Victoria Azarenka's dominance in the first set caused her to start playing passively.
"At first I think I started off very, very well. Then she just started taking control right from the start, and I felt like I started to become a little bit passive," she said.
The Canadian was thrilled to have regained her fighting spirit after adapting to the match circumstances successfully in order to come through with the win.
I told myself if I even want to make this a close match, I have to change something. I told myself, go for it. I started serving better. I started returning better. Yeah, it definitely felt good. My fighting spirit is back, so that feels nice," she added.
Bianca Andreescu will take on Emma Navarro (who defeated Erika Andreeva 6-2, 3-6, 6-4) in the second round of the French Open on Thursday, June 1.