According to the Canadian Press on Thursday, Bianca Andreescu is out of the 2024 Australian Open next month because of a back injury. This is the second straight grand slam tournament where Andreescu has been forced to withdraw from. She did not compete at the 2023 United States Open either because of the back problem.
Andreescu has actually not played since the 2023 National Bank Open in Montreal, Quebec. There she lost to Italy’s Camila Giorgi, 6-3, 6-2. Andreescu did not play matches for Canada when they won the Billie Jean King Cup in Seville, Spain last month.
This is the second announcement of a player withdrawal from the 2023 Australian Open. Australian star Nick Kyrgios won’t play either due to knee, wrist and foot problems.
Andreescu generated her fame from an outstanding tennis season. She won the 2019 United States Open, and in the process became the first Canadian ever to win a grand slam singles title. Also that year she won prestigious tournaments at Indian Wells and Canada.
However, Andreescu has never had great success at the Australian Open. In three appearances in Melbourne, she has not reached the third round, and been eliminated from the second round each time. Andreescu was a qualifier in 2019, and beat American wildcard Whitney Osuigwe, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3. In 2021, Andreescu was the eighth seed, and beat Romanian lucky loser Mihaela Buznarescu 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Then in 2023, Andreescu upset the 25th seed, Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-4.
The 2024 Australian Open begins on January 14. There is some intriguing excitement because Rafael Nadal of Spain will be playing in his first major for a full year.
