Andreescu: I will definitely be at the Australian Open

Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion and current world No 7, has confirmed that she intends to be at the 2021 Australian Open.

The Canadian, who missed the entire 2020 season due to injury, told Alizé Lim in the latest episode of Major Talk that she will “100 per cent” be in Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the new year.

“I’m doing really well. The virus pushed me back, and some little personal things here and there, but right now I’m good, I’m training hard…I’m really looking forward to 2021,” the 20-year-old said.

“I’m perfectly healthy. I really wanted to take time to build everything in my life, and I think this time off helped me do that.”

Newcomer storms onto the scene

Andreescu suffered a left knee injury that kept her out of tournaments in 2020. Her last match was at the 2019 WTA Finals, when she was forced to withdraw midway through an encounter with Karolina Pliskova.

Before that Andreescu had won her first three tournaments in breathtaking fashion. Still 19, she won her maiden WTA title at Indian Wells by beating Angelique Kerber in a dramatic clash. She then hoisted the trophy at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, where she became the first Canadian to claim the title since 1969. Finally she picked up her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open, where she made history by becoming the first player to ever win in New York on her main draw debut and becoming the first teenager to win a Grand Slam since 2006.

For those achievements, Andreescu was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.