Fit again Andreescu passes first Paris test

It is difficult for Bianca Andreescu to not at least keep half an eye on a Grand Slam tournament unfolding on the opposite side of the world knowing full well she should be part of it.

The easier option would be to ignore all coverage so as not to spike envy levels – to avoid pining for that rush of competition that can only be experienced on the biggest stages.

Back to basics

Injuries in the past made it a different proposition but back fighting fit again this year, it was a matter of putting her body through its paces, returning to lower ITF level events rather than jumping in the deep end of tour events too soon.

If that meant missing the season’s first major, the Australian Open, then so be it.

“I was definitely watching and paying attention and obviously wishing I could be there, but I knew deep down I was supposed to be at those ITFs and hopefully it makes for a good comeback story,” Andreescu told rolandgarros.com.

The 25-year-old was back in Grand Slam qualifying at Roland-Garros on Tuesday, under the roof of Court Suzanne-Lenglen, where she staved off the threat of French young gun Daphnee Mpetshi Perricard 6-3 6-2.

It was her latest step back towards top-flight competition having missed the Melbourne major in January for a W35 event in Bradenton, Florida.

Not since 2018 had she competed at ITF level, a year before she was crowned a US Open champion over Serena Williams.

“We had options of doing that last year and even the year before, but my ego definitely got in the way of that,” she said ahead of her next clash against Slovakian Viktoria Hruncakova.

“I mean, I basically had to put that to the side because whatever I was doing maybe it wasn't working, so I was like, ‘OK, what's the next avenue?’

“I committed to that and obviously it wasn't the easiest decision, but I mean the level is tough. I don't want people to think that, you know, ITFs are like Mickey Mouse or whatnot.

“The level is super, super tough. I had some very close matches and I'm just super happy that I was able to play match after match. I played like 15, 14 matches in like three weeks and I felt great. So that was the goal, to just play, play, play.”

It was a move that paid dividends and the latest comeback – Andreescu’s had more of those than most players have trophies on the shelf – remained on track.

Back up to world No.160, having been ranked as low as 228 earlier in the year, the Canadian would love to bottle that fearlessness that carried her as high as world No.4 in 2019.

It was the one side of her old self she missed most.

“I could say, like, that naive innocence, but technically I think maybe my patience within the point,” she said. “I felt like I was really building the points well back in 2019 and I wasn't rushing myself, so I think my patience on the court and it's been showing.

“I mean there are moments obviously where I would love to just hit a winner but gotta take a deep breath and, you know, just make her work basically and it's been good.”

The six-and-a-half years that had passed since her major breakthrough at Flushing Meadows felt like a lifetime ago.

The physical and mental health battles in between were a heavy burden to carry but had helped shape Andreescu and developed a maturity beyond her years.

“I'm an over-thinker now that I've dealt with so many different things and just experienced life,” she said. “I feel like I can get all up in my head. Before I didn't really care about anything. I was just doing my job, having fun. I mean, I didn't even consider it a job. I was just playing the game of tennis. So I'd say that.

“I feel like my patience has definitely improved. And I guess my outlook on winning and losing, right? Like before I would identify myself too much with the wins, the losses, and now I'm focusing more on, ‘How did I show up on the court?’

“I talk about effort and intention so did I give the best I could?

“Then obviously I'm working with my new coach Dusan [Vemic]. We've been working a lot on different tactical and technical things, so the intention is can I apply what we've been working on in the match. Those are the things that are key for me now.”

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