"I broke the curse." That was the sentiment surrounding Bianca Andreescu’s recent journey, a story defined by a meteoric ascent and a challenging descent. In September 2019, on the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium, the then-19-year-old stood triumphant, holding the US Open trophy high as glittering confetti rained down. She had just 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 her next title victory. Nor could she have foreseen that this subsequent triumph would come with a modest $3,000 (£2,200) prize—less than 0.1% of the $3.9m (£2.9m) she had earned at Flushing Meadows.

Perhaps she also didn’t anticipate a return to the lower echelons of professional tennis, a realm far removed from the luxury of free towels and the comfort of having balls retrieved by staff. After enduring years of physical setbacks, the Canadian player headed to these lower tiers to reconstruct a career that had once seemed so full of promise. Her 2019 US Open win was the capstone to a dominant year that also saw her claim titles at Indian Wells and the Canadian Open in her hometown of Toronto, skyrocketing her up the global rankings. She had announced her arrival on the world stage, but subsequently, her trajectory began to falter.

A knee injury forced a hiatus at the beginning of 2020, and the global pandemic soon paused the entire tennis calendar. When she finally stepped back onto the court in February 2021, it marked her first appearance after a 16-month absence. Andreescu now admits she was ill-prepared for the realities of life as 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," the 25-year-old 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, highlighted the rapid maturation required in such a short time. "She had to grow up fast from a carefree teenager to a young woman that she is now," he 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."

The road ahead was obstructed by persistent injuries. Abdominal and ankle issues kept her sidelined, and her 2025 season was delayed by surgery to remove her appendix. Her performance declined significantly, and she failed to advance past the fourth round of any Grand Slam event following her US Open win. Consequently, her ranking plummeted from a career-high of world number four in 2019 to 228 earlier this year. In early 2026, she made the decision to return to an environment she hadn’t competed in since 2018, leaving the WTA Tour for the ITF circuit.

The ITF ranking system ranges from W15, the lowest level, up to W100. Andreescu competed in W35 and W75 events, where the total prize money for a W35 tournament was approximately £26,000. This tour is typically populated by young players seeking recognition, women who struggled to break into the WTA, or athletes using it to regain their form. While crowds are often sparse and line judges hard to come by, the 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 noted. "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 staff 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 driven by a desire to succeed, far removed from the complacency that can sometimes set in at higher levels."

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