Bianca Andreescu: Tennis star dreams of gold in Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 (2024)

Asked to recite a quote or mantra which she tries to train and compete by, Bianca Andreescu can’t pick just one. So she grabs her phone and scrolls through a list she has on it – of all her favourite inspirational quotes – collected in one place.

“Ok, let’s go with the one,” she says, her thumb stopping on the screen: Mental toughness is not about how tough you are when things go right, but how tough you are when facing adversity.

There has been plenty of adversity to face already for the 21-year-old Canadian, who shocked the tennis world in 2019 by beating Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final, part of an incredible season that saw her skyrocket from world No.152 to No.4.

She’s now a mainstay at the top of the women’s game, and even as she’s faced a myriad of injuries – she missed the truncated 2020 season in full – she is a threat at every event she enters.

This week, that includes Wimbledon, underway today (28 June). And starting on 23 July it will also mean the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Andreescu’s debut on the Olympic stage.

“It’s been like five or six years since I've been dreaming of this moment,” Andreescu said of the Olympics, speaking in an exclusive interview last months. “It's going to be incredible. I'm super, super pumped. I'm going to be playing for not only myself, but it's like this whole team around me. I'm never only playing for myself, but it's just like a different atmosphere. You have so many Canadian athletes and you just feel at home and you feel like this big family.”

She added: “Maybe I'll be holding that gold medal.”

'I strive under pressure'

Dreaming of herself with gold draped around her neck is something Andreescu hasn’t hesitated to do (“I look good!” she laughed about the golden vision), as visualisation and meditation are two tools she’s discussed at length since 2019, tools that have helped her had the young success that she’s had.

“[It has] helped me a lot when I am under pressure,” Andreescu said of the practices. “I'm able to get back into the present moment; that's mainly why I use meditation as a tool and visualisation.”

Andreescu, with additional titles at big events including Indian Wells and Toronto (in front of a buoyant home Canadian crowd) in 2019, proved herself as someone who liked to be toe-to-toe with an opponent in the pressure moments.

When the match is on her racket and it’s close near the end, that’s when Andreescu tends to thrive.

“I strive under pressure, definitely,” Andreescu confirmed. “I remember my coaches would put me in scenarios during practice where I had to be under pressure and I had to have my back against the wall in order to come back and push and still win.

So that obviously helps me right now because of all that practice I had. I really have that sense of desire of continuing and never, ever giving up, always fighting, and it definitely shows. But I don't really know what it is and why it's like that. It's kind of unconscious.”

Andreescu, when playing a deciding third set, is 24-8 since the beginning of 2019, a clear indication that when pushed against that aforementioned wall, she remains one of the best in the sport.

Here, an edited version of Andreescu’s interview, which took place in late May – just prior to the French Open. Her answers have been edited for clarity and length.

Bianca Andreescu: 2019 was '100 percent unexpected'

Olympics.com: It’s been a tough year in so many ways, but you’ve also dealt with injuries, just coming back in part in March, then dealing with injuries again and catching Covid. What has all of that taught you and how are you feeling?
Bianca Andreescu: Yeah, for sure. It definitely has taught me patience. And I mean, I've said this a lot: My patience isn't always there, but these times are really helping improve that. I learned a lot through those times, but all I can say is I'm ready to go now and hopefully all those tough times will really help me in my matches.

Olympics.com: Can we rewind to 2019? You have this crazy, breakout year. How do you reflect on it? And do you feel like some of the self-belief you carry helped you meet the moment and win such big matches at such an early stage of your career?
Andreescu: It was unexpected, like 100 percent unexpected. All I can really say about that time was I had an amazing pre-season [before 2019]. I remember I didn't lose one set nor match during that whole period. I think it was like two months. I was just feeling super, super good. And I mean, I was just going out there with no expectations, kind of as the underdog and just taking everyone by storm.

And even now that I'm at the top, I try to go out with that same mentality, obviously, knowing that I am where I am now versus back then, but just going out there and having fun, not really expecting much and just doing my best. And that's what I did in 2019 and that's what I want to continue doing. It's really helped a lot. And the confidence too of just winning like to back matches and tournaments, [that] definitely helped me raise the trophy at the U.S. Open because a lot of it [comes from] confidence as well.

Olympics: It was one of the fastest rises we’ve seen in modern tennis. Are you sometimes like, ‘This is my life?!’
Andreescu: Yeah. I'd say sometimes I wake up or be in different circ*mstances [and] I'll be like, ‘Wow, this is actually a thing. This is my life now.’ I enjoy it. I adore it so, so much. But when people say, ‘Oh, your life is so perfect all the time,’ that's not true. There's so much that goes into it, so much stress as well. But I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm very, very lucky.

Looking up to... Gretzky, Comaneci, Nestor

Olympics.com: Tell us about the Olympics in the Andreescu household. Were you watching much as a kid? Your parents are Romanian so I think there is a tie-in there, too.
Andreescu: Yes. Well, my parents told me [about] when they were watching Nadia Comaneci, she's Romanian, but they remember watching her win a gold medal, she was only like 14 years old. That was like super, super incredible, and I actually got the chance to meet her.

Wayne Gretzky, I was able to meet him, too. I watched him throughout his whole career as much as I could. I mean, I'm only 21, but he's truly an inspiration. And what Daniel Nestor was able to do as well for the doubles was super, super incredible. [Nestor is a Canadian doubles legend and won gold at Sydney 2000.]

So for me to envision myself in their position is crazy. And to have my name under theirs is a dream... And just to... actually just being at the Olympics is an accomplishment of itself. Yeah, everyone wants to win the gold medal, but really just being there is like you've made it basically.

Olympics.com: You’ve talked about your visualisation practice. What about pre-match? What’s your routine like?
Andreescu: My pre-match routine is meditation and visualization, yeah. I like to just take five or 10 minutes to centre myself with the meditation and then another five or 10 minutes to visualize myself when I'm playing my match in my head, how I want to play, how I want to envision my attitude. All of that, just so I can gain a little confidence even before I step on the court next.

What Olympic sport would Bianca try?

Olympics.com: We’re curious, if it wasn’t tennis, what one Olympic sport would you want to try? For some reason water polo is bubbling to the top for us for you...
Andreescu: [Laughs.] Oh! That's one of the hardest things to do! I could barely swim like two laps without having to catch my breath. [Four-time Olympic medallist in water polo] Penny Oleksiak is like one of my inspirations. Like what she does is incredible. Sometimes I’ll work out in the pool and I'm thinking of her. I'm like, ‘How do you do? It's amazing.’ But she says the same thing about me. So it kind of goes hand in hand. But I always pictured myself as a skater because I used to skate when I was younger and I loved it. But then tennis came along. I enjoyed tennis a bit more and this and that. But if I had to choose like another sport, it would be skating like figure skating.

Joannie Rochette... she's incredible and she's so beautiful. And what she's done for Canada is incredible. And I've watched her many, many times, but definitely figure skating. It's a beautiful sport.

Olympics.com: Last but not least, your dog Coco has become quite the Internet celebrity. You’re not seeing her much these days are you?
Andreescu: I know, but she's great. My mom is sending me pictures of her almost every single day. I try to keep my fans updated as well, a little bit posting... because I know they really love her. And she got a really bad haircut, though. [Laughs.] One day I can actually post it on social media. But oh my gosh, her hair finally grew so I’m happy about that.