"I broke the curse": The dramatic ascent and fall of a teenage Grand Slam champion

In September 2019, Bianca Andreescu stood triumphant on the court of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the US Open trophy raised high as glittering confetti rained down upon her. At just 19 years old, the Canadian teenager had defeated the legendary Serena Williams, reaching the absolute zenith of the tennis world. In that fleeting moment of glory, she could not have predicted that more than 2,300 days would pass before she claimed another title. Nor could she have foreseen that her next victory would carry a prize of merely $3,000 (£2,200)—a sum representing less than 0.1% of the $3.9m (£2.9m) she had earned at Flushing Meadows.

It was also unlikely she anticipated a return to the lower echelons of professional tennis, a realm devoid of perks like complimentary towels, where competitors frequently retrieve their own balls. Yet, following years plagued by injuries, the Canadian player headed in that direction, seeking to reconstruct a career that had once seemed so full of promise.

Her US Open triumph was the capstone to an exceptional year that also saw her win the Indian Wells title and the Canadian Open in her hometown of Toronto, propelling her up the global rankings. She had announced her arrival on the world stage, but soon after, her trajectory began to falter. A knee injury forced a break at the start of 2020, and the global pandemic subsequently paused the tennis calendar. When she finally stepped onto the court in February 2021, it marked her first match in 16 months.

Andreescu, now 25, admits she was ill-prepared for the realities of being a Grand Slam champion. "I don't think it's possible to really prepare yourself [for a Grand Slam victory], especially if you haven't gone through that before, but I wish I had a little bit more guidance after the US Open," she told BBC Sport. "You think you know everything at 19, and I just remember I'm not one to ever ask for help, but I am a little bit better at that now. So maybe if I did, things would have been different."

Her current coach, Dusan Vemic, noted the rapid maturation required of the young star. "She had to grow up fast from a carefree teenager to a young woman that she is now," Vemic explained. "You have a different outlook, different points of view on challenges or fun stuff. Being a tennis player, being an athlete, you suddenly have a different role. You become a role model for many youngsters."

However, Andreescu’s career was hampered by persistent physical issues. Problems with her abdomen and ankle kept her sidelined, and her 2025 season was further delayed by surgery to remove her appendix. Her performance declined, and she has not progressed beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam since her US Open win. Consequently, her ranking plummeted from a career-high of world number four in 2019 to 228 earlier this year.

By the beginning of 2026, Andreescu made the decision to return to an environment she had not visited since 2018, leaving the WTA Tour for the ITF circuit. The ITF ranking system ranges from W15, the lowest tier, up to W100. Andreescu competed in W35 and W75 events, where the total prize money for a W35 tournament is approximately £26,000. The ITF tour typically consists of young players attempting to establish themselves, women who failed to break into the WTA, or those using the platform to regain their form. While crowds may be small and line judges scarce, the on-court competition remains intense.

"The hunger the women had that I was playing against, every match was so difficult, and I feel like maybe on the WTA Tour, the athletes are maybe a bit more comfortable with certain things," Andreescu observed. "Certain things are getting paid for [on the WTA Tour]. But on that [ITF] level, nothing's getting paid for, and you're barely breaking even. I was there too at one point, so I know how it is. I don't want people to get the idea that the ITF tour is Mickey Mouse compared to the WTA Tour, because that's not the case. I feel a lot of admiration and respect for the women that continue to grind on the tour, because it's not easy, even on the WTA Tour, it's just not easy."

Vemic, who joined Andreescu’s coaching team in September 2025, shared this perspective. "Every player there needs to prove themselves and everyone is hungry and they're not bored of playing many years on tour," he said. "They're all dr

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-19 07:34:27 UTC