"Wimbledon brought back memories from 2019" - Bianca Andreescu reflects on how things went "downhill" after winning US Open, expresses new hope

Bianca Andreescu recently opened up on the downward spiral in her career since winning her maiden Grand Slam at the 2019 US Open.

Andreescu stunned Serena Williams in straight sets in the final to became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title. However, the 23-year-old hasn't quite attained the same level of success since, failing to progress past the third-round at any Major.

In a chat with Ben Rothenberg on his podacst 'No Challenges Remaining,' Bianca Andreescu shared her thoughts on various aspects of her life.

Touching upon the tennis side of things, Bianca Abdreescu mentioned that her journey so far has been quite a roller coaster ride, but she is grateful for the base that she has in terms of her shots.

She said:

"I have had ups and downs over the course of years but the base is there and that is going for my shots, believing in my myself, never giving up but we all have bad days too at the end of the day but I am very grateful for that, for that base."

When asked about her current game and her thoughts on her Wimbledon run this year, Bianca Andreescu lamented about not being able to progress further than the third round - where she fell to eventual finalist Ons Jabeur. However, she said her time at SW19 took her back to the memories from 2019, which she said was her best year.

She said:

"I definitely felt good.. obviously a little sad and disappointed that I couldn’t close it out in the end. I always see how were my opportunities but I feel that those matches at Wimbledon kind of brought back memories from 2019 and sometimes it’s nice to go into the past because that was my best year and I was playing my best tennis too and I feel that it was translated into my matches in Wimbledon."

Bianca Andreescu also expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming US Open and shed light on her preparations for the harcourt Slam.

"I really hope that volleys and practice, I know competition and practice are two different things but in practice it’s been going really well and hard court it’s my favourite surface so I am really hoping that it can really translate to the matches," Andreescu said.

Talking about her performance in 2021, Bianca Andreescu stated that after her 2019 US Open win, she bought into the belief that things would only go uphill, but the 2021 season made for a harsh reality check since her game was going the other way around.

"I just remember after my 2019 season people kept saying there is only up from here, there’s only improvement and this and that so I felt that got into my head a little bit when I came back in 2021 because I didn’t feel that I was getting better in a way, I was kind of going downhill. So thinking about it in that way is when the insecurities kind of come in," Andreescu said.

She said that the inspiration of having been a Grand Slam winner and beating top players will serve as a reminder for her going forward. She said:

"But the inspiration I mean, no one’s going to take that away from me and knowing that I have that under my belt I have to remind myself that yes I am a Grand Slam champion, I beat all these top players and I does help me, it’s just..it depends where my mind is at, that day basically."

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Bianca Andreescu loses first match at Citi Open

Citi Open - Day 3

Bianca Andreescu lost to Marta Kostyuk 2-6, 6-3, 6-7(5) in the first round of the Citi Open in Washington. This was her first match following her third-round disheartening defeat to Ons Jabeur at Wimbledon.

Despite kicking off the clash with a win in the first set, she seemed to lose grip on her game during a nail-biting final set, eventually giving it away to her Ukrainian oponent.

The 23-year-old will now look to get herself back in form at her home Masters tournament in Toronto. This is a tournament Bianca Andreescu had won back in 2019 before going on to win her first and only Major at the US Open.

A good run at the Masters event will only boost the Canadian’s confidence just in time for the final Grand Slam of the year.