Defending winner Bianca Andreescu pulls out of U.S. Open

Andreescu hasn’t played a match given that suffering a knee damage very last October.

“I have taken this phase in purchase to emphasis on my match physical fitness and be certain that I return completely ready to perform at my maximum level,” Andreescu mentioned in a assertion.

“The U.S. Open up victory past yr has been the large place of my occupation thus much and I will miss … remaining there. However, I comprehend that the unforeseen difficulties, such as the COVID pandemic, have compromised my capability to get ready and contend to the diploma vital to perform at the highest level.”

Andreescu tweeted in help of the United States Tennis Association’s final decision to go ahead with the U.S. Open up devoid of admirers in June.

The 20-calendar year-aged Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., hinted she was nearing a return in advance of COVID-19 shuttered the sports activities globe in March. But Andreescu, ranked sixth in the environment, did not enter any of the four gatherings in advance of the U.S. Open up in the sport’s restart in August.

Andreescu joins planet No. 1 Ash Barty of Australia, No. 5 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and No. 7 Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in skipping the event.

The season’s 3rd and final Grand Slam, the French Open up, has been rescheduled for Sept. 27-Oct. 10. Wimbledon was cancelled this yr.

Rated exterior the top 150 prior to last year, Andreescu rocketed into the leading 10 with match victories at the BNP Paribas Open up in Indian Wells, Calif., the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the U.S. Open up, wherever she upset American legend Serena Williams in the closing to turn out to be the initial Canadian to gain a singles Grand Slam.

“It is really no top secret that I definitely like her as a human being and as a player,” Williams stated Thursday immediately after defeating her sister Venus Williams at the Prime Seed Open up in Kentucky. “I just assume she’s so mature and so cool. She’ll come back, she’ll do well when she’s all set.”

Andreescu has been hampered by injuries for huge chunks of her vocation. Even in her breakthrough 2019 campaign, she skipped most of the clay- and grass-court docket seasons for the reason that of damage.

Check out | The rise of Bianca Andreescu:

The Lou Marsh Award winner as Canada’s major athlete in 2019, Andreescu emerged from relative obscurity to get to the remaining of final year’s period-opening celebration in New Zealand with wins more than former entire world No. 1s Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki.

Andreescu rode that momentum into Indian Wells, regarded 1 of the major tournaments on the WTA Tour after the 4 Grand Slams. She upset Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the remaining.

Just a 7 days afterwards, the two achieved yet again with Andreescu prevailing in a tight match in Miami, just after which an psychological Kerber known as the Canadian a “drama queen.”

Having said that, Andreescu retired from her future match with a shoulder personal injury, retaining her out of all but 1 tournament in advance of the Rogers Cup.

At her hometown celebration, irrespective of rust, Andreescu opened with a earn about fellow Canadian Eugenie Bouchard and then fought by a number of prolonged matches to make the ultimate in opposition to Williams. Soon after just four online games, Williams retired with a again damage, offering the title to Andreescu, who embraced the American in the quick aftermath of her determination and earned praise from the longtime star for her words of encouragement.

In the rematch at the U.S. Open, Williams staged a large rally in the second established ahead of Andreescu rebounded to complete off the residence-state favourite in straight sets.

Soon after taking various months off, Andreescu’s 17-match gain streak ultimately came to an end with a loss to Naomi Osaka at the China Open. In the exact region weeks afterwards at the WTA Finals in October, Andreescu experienced the knee injuries.