The Curious Case of Bianca Andreescu

Bianca Andreescu experienced a fascinatingly rapid rise to the top of tennis several years ago. The Canadian became a fan favourite in 2019 with her stunning US Open run and victory over Serena Williams in the final. But as fate often dictates in professional sports, things haven’t been nearly as smooth since that breakthrough moment.

She was a teenager back then, holding a Grand Slam trophy and seemingly poised for sustained greatness. Much like it would be for Emma Raducanu – with whom, coincidentally, she shares Romainian heritage – a couple of years later, tennis believed it had discovered a new star. Unfortunately, Andreescu soon began experiencing injury problems, severe enough to keep her off the court for extended stretches. The pattern became frustratingly predictable and so deeply concerning.

The worst aspect of it all was that every time she returned to competition, she would get injured again almost immediately. There was never a genuine opportunity for her to complete a full season and rediscover her best form through consistent match play. 

The numbers tell a stark story. She played fifty-five matches in 2019, winning forty-eight and losing only seven. That was the year she won the US Open. She didn’t play at all in 2020. She returned in 2021 but managed only twenty-nine matches. The following year she totaled thirty-three matches, then thirty-one, then twenty-one in 2024, and twenty-five in 2025.

As those figures clearly demonstrate, she never had a realistic chance to find proper rhythm or build the physical foundation necessary to compete at the highest level week after week. Even so, she produced flashes of brilliance that proved the talent remained intact. But her body became fragile and seemingly never recovered fully. 

Many fans grew demoralised because at her best she’s a captivating player to watch, and she possesses a bubbly personality that makes her genuinely popular among fans. She’s simply the type of player who is beloved throughout the tour, a joy to have around, and her inability to find her best tennis consistently has been genuinely unfortunate. But she’s only twenty-five, which means there’s still time. And that time might finally have arrived.

Rising Like a Phoenix

Like the legendary phoenix, Andreescu is currently experiencing a resurgence, starting the 2026 season with thirteen wins in fourteen matches. The fact that she’s already managed fourteen matches is a minor miracle on its own, though it’s still early in the year. It doesn’t necessarily mean her injury concerns are definitively behind her, but many are cautiously hopeful.

To be fair to the Canadian, she’s only competing at the ITF level right now, which is several tiers below where she normally plays. It’s no surprise that she’s been able to win most of her matches at this level. But for her at this point in her career, it’s less about the quality of opposition and more about simply being able to play matches, particularly multiple matches in a short span of time.

There are legitimate arguments that these matches aren’t at a high level and don’t impose the same physical demands as WTA Tour events. But the repetition, the wins, still matter. She needs to build up the resilience to handle even more demanding matches when they do come. 

Winning on top of that is obviously a bonus, but the proper test will arrive once she returns to the WTA Tour. There are ranking concerns as well since she’s currently far outside the top one hundred. Still, it’s an encouraging start. Whether this represents a genuine resurgence will become clear in the coming months, but optimism feels warranted. 

The tour would regain a tremendous player and fan favorite if she’s able to compete consistently again. Who could forget those iconic battles she used to wage against some of the best and also the win against Serena Williams? It genuinely looked like a star was born.

Maybe, seven years later, we’ll finally see that star shine as brightly as it was always meant to.