Good news: Bianca Andreescu preparing for return to court, has sights on playing in Olympics

Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu is gearing up for a return to the court.

Andreescu is scheduled to play the WTA 250 Grand Prix De Son Altesse Royale La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Rabat, Morocco.

She will enter the tournament with a protected ranking of No. 64. Main-draw play in Morocco will take place from from Sunday, May 19 through Saturday, May 25.

The former U.S. Open champion has been sidelined since August 2023 when she last played in Montreal’s National Bank Open.

“I’m feeling really good and I’ll be ready to play Rabat, which is in about two weeks,” Andreescu said on the Match Point Canada Podcast. “That’s very exciting for me, I’ve been training basically the past three months. Definitely the longest pre-season I’ve had. I feel like every time I’ve been injured, I keep saying that I’ve had a long pre-season as my longest pre-season but this one has topped them all. I mean, three months is crazy.”

During her time off the court, Andreescu has been working solely with hitting coach J.T. Nishimura after changing things up from Christophe Lambert, who had been coaching her since November 2022.

Getting back to the court has been a tough journey for Andreescu as she’s had to combat a variety of injuries over the years.

The Mississauga, Ont., native also has the goal to represent Canada in the Summer Olympics in Paris.

“I have the opportunity to use my protective ranking, which is used if you’re gone from the sport due to injury or pregnancy. I’ve been off for, I guess, eight months now so I’m able to use that,” Andreescu said. “My protected ranking would be in the 60s, low 60s so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to play.

“I think playing the tournaments before that could potentially help me get into the main draw, and maybe some people might not come. It’s a cut-off of 54 and it’s basically through ranking. And so I think I have a really good chance of making it and it’s been my goal ever since I was a little girl. If I can, you know, be up on that stage, whether I win or lose, obviously, I want to win, but just raising up that Canadian flag and representing my country will mean the world to me.”