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During a Q&A session ahead of the San Diego Open, former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu revealed that she had a really funny encounter with a fan after winning the title at Flushing Meadows in 2019.
The Canadian defeated 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the final in straight sets to claim her maiden Grand Slam. While signing autographs for the fans afterwards, the Canadian met with a fan who confided in her that she helped him win $55,000, since he had bet on her to win the title over Williams.
"Well, the first one that pops into my head is when I won the US Open, I was giving autographs at the end of the match and there was one guy that said, 'You won me $55,000 for winning this match'. And I was like okay. I thought it was pretty funny," said Bianca Andreescu.
“I literally wanted to quit this sport, it was so bad" - Bianca Andreescu on taking six months off in 2021
The Canadian had such a difficult time in 2021 due to lockdowns that she even considered retiring from the sport. Speaking in an interview with the Guardian, Andreescu revealed that she did not want to speak or think about the game at all, distancing herself from tennis in every possible way.
“I literally wanted to quit this sport. It was so bad,” said Andreescu. “I didn’t want to hear about tennis, or think about tennis, or anything even close to it for the first three months I was away. And then, after three months, I realized, ‘Oh shit, I really do miss this. And I need it in my life,” Bianca Andreescu said.
At the same time, she knew deep inside that that she wanted to play sooner or later amid those retirement thoughts and decided to get back into the sport eventually.
“Well, yeah, for a split second I’m thinking, I just don’t want to continue like this. How is it ever going to get better? It was so great in 2019, and now I’m feeling like this. But my soul knew differently. It knew that this is something that’s meant for me. I’m here to stay," she added.
Bianca Andreescu will compete at the San Diego Open up next, for the first time since her loss to Caroline Garcia in the third round of the 2022 US Open. She will face Tokyo champion Liudmila Samsonova in the opening round of the event and is in the same quarter as young superstar Coco Gauff.
