"Don't let the haters bring you down, believe in yourself" - Bianca Andreescu gives sage advice to her young fans

Bianca Andreescu suffered a Round of 16 defeat at the Canadian Open against Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen on Thursday, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. The Canadian has struggled to find her form since returning to the tour this season.

In a press conference following her loss, Andreescu spoke about the importance of believing in yourself and being around supportive people. The 2019 US Open champion also opined that social media has made it tougher for young people to pursue their dreams.

"But for me, what helped me during my youth was not letting other people tell me that, you know, my dreams are too big or I can't do this, you can't do that. And now with social media, that can get tougher and tougher," Andreescu said.

"So, yeah, don't let the haters bring you down," she continued. "Believe in yourself. Surround yourself with very supportive people. I think the saying is, well, for food, you are what you eat. But then, for people, you are who you hang with."

"I just feel like I'm in a great place right now" - Bianca Andreescu

Bianca Andreescu acknowledges the crowd after losing to Zheng Qinwen at the National Bank Open in Toronto

Bianca Andreescu announced in December that she would be taking a break from tennis to "reset, recover, and grow." The 22-year-old contracted COVID last year and said that the whole experience affected her mentally and physically. She returned to action in April but has struggled to hit the highs of 2019, when she won the US Open.

During her post-match presser, Andreescu acknowledged that she was not paying at her best level but felt that things were improving. The Canadian also said she was "in a great place right now."

"Yeah, I think it's getting there," she said. "I definitely don't think I'm there yet. But I just got to keep grinding. And I also have to tell myself, like I can't play very good every single day, you know? It's just not, yeah, just not what it is, sadly. I wish I could do that."

"But like I said before, if I continue to just give my best and stay really committed to this. Because I really, really want this. I just feel like I'm in a great place right now."

"And even just me talking now I feel like last year, for instance, would be more negative," she continued. "But I just, I feel so great. And also I'm home. The crowd was for me. And win or lose I feel that they have always supported me. So that means a lot."

Bianca Andreescu will now set her sights on the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, which begins next week.