Bianca Andreescu doesn't feel like the same person who hoisted a trophy in front of hometown fans nearly two years ago 鈥� or the same tennis player.聽
The 21-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., is trying to put her 2019 performance behind her as she prepares to defend her National Bank Open title in Montreal next week.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 a whole other ball game. But on the court, I feel like I鈥檓 the same person because I am fearless, I feel confident," Andreescu told reporters on a video call Saturday.聽
She admitted, though, that her confidence has been "up and down" in recent months as she struggled with her mental health, dealt with injuries and a positive COVID-19 test, and parted ways with her longtime coach Sylvain Bruneau.
Andreescu also hasn't played much over the past year, something that she said has "really sucked."
鈥淏ut now I have a new mindset, I鈥檓 feeling refreshed, I鈥檝e been training really hard," she said. "I鈥檓 feeling good.鈥�
Andreescu comes into the National Bank Open as the No. 2 seed. She has a first-round bye and could face fellow Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez when the second round begins on Tuesday.聽
The quarterfinals for both the men's and women's tournaments are scheduled for Friday, with the semis set to go Saturday, Aug. 14 and the finals on Aug. 15.
There's a strong Canadian contingent at this year's event.
At the men's event in Toronto, Denis Shapovalov comes in as the No. 5 seed while Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime is No. 9. Both have first-round byes.聽
Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver, the No. 53 seed, will face a qualifier in first-round action.
The tournament, formerly known as the Rogers Cup, was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the young Canadians are looking forward to competing on home soil.聽
鈥淚鈥檓 just excited to be back and, honestly, just playing in front of a Canadian crowd again, in front of my fans," Shapovalov said. "It鈥檚 been awhile since I鈥檝e been able to see them and they鈥檝e been able to see me. So it鈥檚 going to be a lot of fun to be out there.鈥�
Shapovalov said he's feeling confident heading into the National Bank Open, especially after his performance at Wimbledon last month. The 22-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., impressed many at the grass-court Grand Slam before falling to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
鈥淭he momentum is great from Wimbledon and I just feel like the last couple of months, my game level has improved a couple more steps up," he said. "I feel like I鈥檓 able to compete with anyone and I feel like I鈥檓 becoming a really big threat. So it鈥檚 all positive things for me.鈥�
Both Shapovalov and Andreescu skipped this month's Tokyo Olympics, opting to instead focus on their health and prepare for the hard-court season.聽
Andreescu has been keeping close tabs on the performance of at least one Canadian athlete, though 鈥� her good friend Penny Oleksiak.聽
Oleksiak, 21, became the most-decorated Olympian in Canadian history last week when she captured her seventh medal, a bronze in the women's 4x100 medley relay.聽
Andreescu said she was "in tears" watching at home.聽
鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking about playing the Olympics together and I didn鈥檛 go, but just seeing her have that moment, just embracing it is just so amazing. I wish her all the best," she said. "She just inspires me as well. I feel even more motivated to do better.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2021.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
