Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu has said she hopes to represent her country at the next Olympics in Paris, but the 2019 US Open champion has ruled out playing at the upcoming Australian Open in January as she continues her recovery from a back injury.
Bianca Andreescu is sidelined with a stress fracture in her back and has not played since losing to Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi in her first match at the tournament in Canada in August.
The 23-year-old tennis player said progress in her recovery has been steady but slow and she is still not practicing with a racquet, pushing back her expected return to action until March or April.
“No, unfortunately I won’t be at the Australian Open’, confirmed Bianca Andreescu at a Canadian Olympic Committee event in Paris. “At the moment I’m hoping to come back after the Grand Slam in Melbourne or for the US maybe. I’m close but at the moment I’m still dealing with the back injury. Every day it’s getting better and I’m doing the best I can, to be able to get back on the court as quickly as possible, but it takes time. I feel confident for 2024”, added she.
Whether she will be able to recover in time and earn a spot on the Canadian team for the Paris 2024 Olympics is still in question. Her ranking has dropped to 96th, and the decline is almost certain to continue.
“I miss playing and seeing the girls win the Billie Jean King Cup. I really wanted to be there. I’m sad I couldn’t be there because that’s a dream of mine too – to win that tournament”, concluded Bianca Andreescu.
