TENNIS LEGENDS VODCAST WITH BIANCA ANDREESCU

How is the lockdown in Canada and how is your daily life there?
Only the essential services and businesses are open right now. You barely see anybody on the road. Honestly it is doing so well for the environment. It is crazy but there is good and bad in everything. It is super depressing to see what this virus is doing to people but it is nice to see how people are coming together one way or another. And I think those times show us  that we can’t take anything for granted :  anything, just going to see your friends, basically leaving the house and especially our health because eventually, because if one person is infected one way or another, every body else is connected  one way or another. 

Are you able to hit? What does it look like in terms of working out?
I have only been working out right now. It is tough here in Toronto because they even closed the parks. So, nobody can play any tennis basketball or even sit on a bench… I think Trudeau is doing a really good thing with that because this is the only way we are going to stop this from spreading. But I have been working in my mind! As much as I can!  It is a very powerful tool that I like to use. 

Canadian tennis: With you, Shapovalov, Genie Bouchard making the breakthrough playing a couple of finals… what’s with Canadian tennis?
I don’t think that it started just now. I think that it is something over time that had been building up thanks to all the Canadian Tennis players that gave us the inspiration and motivation… At least for me. The Tennis Canada program have worked tremendously. They have a platform in place with amazing coaches, tennis trainers, facilities… And just having Felix and Denis and all the other Canadian Tennis players back in Montreal whenever I am there is a nice thing to see because we are one big family and we just enjoy supporting each other’s success and motivating each other which I think gives us that extra boost. It is just a bonus that we all picked at the same time. At such a young age… it is just beautiful to see…

Talk us through your 2019.
Man, every time I talk about it brings me in the feels because 2019 was the best and worst year of my life. It was definitely a rollercoaster. My results were definitely the good part of the year and me improving as a person and as tennis player. It was just so nice to see my progression throughout the year leading up to the US Open… and even afterwards. I think it all started during my pre-season. I had a really good preseason. I got super confident. I remember I actually did not lose a single practice set. So I was like “2019 I am coming for you”. And then little did I know what was going to happen in Auckland. I ended up going into the finals. I think that just boosted my confidence even more coming into Indian Wells and also Newport. So, it was just a buildup and then I just kept the ball rolling. I did not let anything go to my head. I was not taking anything for granted. I was going out there playing match after match, not focusing on who is on the other side. I played a lot of tough opponents and opponents that were in the top 10, which never happened to me before! That was actually my first full year on tour. So, it was incredible how fast that all came together. It makes me happy talking about it again actually.

Tell us a bit about your Romanian background:
I'm defintely in between (Canadian and Romanian) obviously. My parents are Romanian, they grew up there but I was born in Canada, I was raised in Canada. But my tennis career did skyrocket in... maybe not... but the beginning of everything was there in Romania. That's what I mean. I picked up my first racket there so...It's definitely a special place in my heart but deep down I'm a Canadian, I'm a Romanian, I don't want to say it wrongly.

Oh my gosh the Romanian fans, they are honestly next level!  They are everywhere you go! Every time there is a Romanian tennis player playing in that tournament there's gonna like a crowd of Romanians which is amazing. I think it just brings a different vibe on the court when you're there to see as many people supporting you. There are some in China actually and on that occasion it was just... Respect.

You're the current US Open champion will you be able to defend your title?
I don't know what the future has on hold but I will tell you that I'm going to give my best, I don't like losing so we'll see but that's definitely the goal as every other Grand Slam is as well. Because I want to reach that number 1 spot! I really do. I really do.

Do you think the US Open will actually take place in 2020?
I have no idea. I really have no idea. With everything that is going on now it's really tough to say. It's day by day. There are some cases, in one day there are more than the next. But if everyone can just keep social distancing that's the only way we're going to get rid of this. I might stay calm with the vaccine but, that's just another topic, it's pretty controversial right now. Other than that just I’m just going to try to have that in the back of my head every time I do my fitness and hopefully I can step back on the court.

Bianca Andreescu was speaking exclusively to Eurosport's Tennis Legends podcast alongside Felix Auger Aliassime. Download the full podcast from Thursday evening (7 May).