Bianca Andreescu explains why she cried before and after her Australian Open comeback win

Australian Open
Bianca Andreescu pleased

She shed tears on Sunday evening and again after her Australian Open victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu on Monday, but for Bianca Andreescu it was a good release.

After 15 months on the sidelines, the Canadian made her long-awaited return to competitive tennis on day one at Melbourne Park.

And Andreescu made a smooth start as she comfortably won the first set on the back of two breaks of serve before her Romanian opponent hit back with one break to take it to a decider. However, the 2019 US Open winner prevailed as she broke in game eight to record a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win.

The 20-year-old showed plenty of emotion at the end of the match.

During the press conference she explained: “Last night I did cry, and I’m not afraid to say that because everyone cries sometimes.

“But it’s a good release for me because in my head, all I was thinking about were the last 15 months and how tough they were, and they were tough for many reasons.

“It wasn’t necessarily easy, but I got through them.

“I have amazing people around me that help me along the way, and I have to thank them for that because I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”

Having spent the entire 2020 on the sidelines due to injury and the enforced break because of the coronavirus, Andreescu feels these days she is “a bit kinder” to herself, but that doesn’t mean she has lost her winning mentality.

“I do know that I am stronger in many different ways than I was before, so I do know I can be just as good if not better than I was in 2019 in every aspect,” she told WTA Insider. “But I won’t know for sure until I actually go out there because it’s a different story practicing and doing things in competition.

“I have high hopes for myself. I’m healthy first of all, and I know if I’m healthy I can get out there and compete at my best.

“I am being a bit kinder to myself, yes, because of all that time off. But I also want to do very well and win. So I still have those goals for myself. But yes, I’m a little bit kinder. If I lose – and I don’t want to think like that – but if I do, I won’t be as hard on myself.”

Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.

Bianca Andreescu

Latest