Andreescu plans to sit out rest of season to get healthy
TORONTO — Bianca Andreescu says she is taking the remainder of the tennis season off to focus on her health and training.
The Canadian tennis star made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter.
The decision was expected after the 20-year-old from Mississauga withdrew from the French Open.
Outside of the last Grand
Slam of 2020, there are only a handful of tournaments remaining on the WTA schedule that haven’t been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As hard as it was to come to this conclusion, I have so much to look forward to in 2021, including the Olympics,” Andreescu said. “I want to use this time to focus (on) my game so I can come back stronger and better than ever.”
Andreescu hasn’t played a competitive match since suffering a knee injury last October at the WTA Finals in China.
She also skipped the U.S. Open this month in New York, calling it a “difficult” decision. Andreescu won the 2019 U.S. Open over Serena Williams, becoming the first Canadian to win a singles Grand Slam.
Andreescu also won major events in Toronto and Indian Wells, Calif., last year as she reached No. 4 in the WTA rankings.
She is currently at No. 7 despite her long period of inactivity.
The clay-court French Open, usually held in the spring, was postponed by four months due to the global pandemic.
The main draw begins Sunday.