NATIONAL BANK OPEN

August 6, 2024

Bianca Andreescu

Press Conference

L. TSURENKO/B. Andreescu

0-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Bianca, we'll start here. Tough fight for you today. Can you talk about your performance.

BIANCA ANDREESCU: I think I played some of my best tennis for the first set in a little bit, and then tennis just kicks you right in the butt sometimes. Obviously she found her footing, and, yeah, it's great that I got those four games at the end, but, yeah, that's it.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions.

Q. With the roller coaster it was how will you remember tonight with all the anticipation, the disappointment, the attempting to come back?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: How will I remember tonight? Well, right now all I can really think about is how shitty I feel. But if I can go back to before the match and just before the tournament it was great. I was feeling really great coming into the tournament, feeling my tennis really well. Mentally, too, having my family and friends here and a lot of my supporters from Canada, it's beautiful, I'm very blessed.

Yeah, obviously I don't want to be discouraged, but it's just so hard when you're playing literally, for me, that was the best tennis I've ever played in my life, and then for a match to just turn around like that, it sucks. Yeah, I don't want to be too down on myself. I'm going to give myself today and that's it. Tomorrow I just, I got to regroup.

Q. What did change in that second, I guess in the second game of the second set and moving forward?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: Obviously she changed her game style, for sure. I felt like she was a complete wall today, like I could not break her at all. Then in turn that makes me think about how I'm doing, like, am I not doing something right or, like, should I be doing more. It was just this constant battle with myself on what to do. I've obviously played her before and that's how she plays, like when she's at her best. Yeah, I was, I guess, trying to slice sometimes, the drop shot wasn't really working today. When somebody's hitting very flat and hard and deep in the center, that's what she was doing, it's hard to really change the rhythm. Obviously my first serve percentage dropped a lot, so that didn't help.

Q. Did it weigh on you at all going in knowing she had beaten you the previous two times, or did you feel pretty clear headed about it just going into the match?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: For sure that's crossed my mind, but I felt like I had a decent game plan. I think that first set really showed it. So, yeah, that definitely kind of went away for a bit, but then it came back and I'm like, Okay, this is what I'm supposed to expect, kind of.

Q. Just following up, you said you played some incredible tennis in the first set. Can you maybe use that as a springboard or something positive as a takeaway as you continue into the summer hard courts?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: Definitely. If I can play like that I think I can beat anybody. I just have to stay consistent with it. It's funny because this usually happens, and I don't know why, like, when I play really well in the first set, unconsciously these thoughts come up and it's like, Oh, my God, you're playing so well. Like, This is great, you know, and then in a way I jinx it, I don't know, but I don't even want to be thinking about that, you know. It's tough. It's definitely an inner battle and, yeah, tennis is tennis.

Q. My buddies and I call it the first-set hangover.

BIANCA ANDREESCU: I've heard that.

Q. You play a perfect set --

BIANCA ANDREESCU: I know. Yeah.

Q. Tough one tonight. It really felt like a tale of three different matches because you had your match, your first set, and then I think she rolled off like 10 of the next 11 games, and you really came back strong in that third. So, I guess, what was going through your mind when you were making the comeback in those four games that you were able to win and you were really battling and hanging in there with her?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: At that point I, honestly, I had no idea what to do. Like I said, she was just, she was a complete wall. I was, like, I have to change something, and if I don't start going for it or, I don't know, doing something different. I felt like I was going maybe too much to her backhand, so I started going more to her forehand and it started working a little bit.

Then also putting more pressure on the return too. It's tough with her serve because it slices into your body and it's like you feel like you have so many options, but, yeah, I tried to just keep it simple, and I think that helped a lot. But it's nice to know that I have that fight in me.

Q. I know it's pretty fresh and you said that you'll take today and you'll process it and then tomorrow's a new day, but what is your plan? I know you're playing Cincy next week. Are you planning to stick around the rest of the week to train or are you heading straight over there?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: I would love to stay here an extra few days. Yeah, I'll probably stay here a few days and then head over to Cincy. Maybe, I don't know, Thursday or Friday. When does the main draw start, do you know? Is it like here, Tuesday, Wednesday? First round.

Q. I don't think so. It's early next week. Same regular schedule.

BIANCA ANDREESCU: Okay.

Q. You do a lot of visualization work, so when you're down a deficit in the third set, like 5-Love, are you drawing on certain memories in your head when you're thinking about that? Like, is it specific to a tournament, like, obviously, like this tournament you won before, like, do you think about moments like that in the past to kind of give you that extra motivation to kind of dig through?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: For sure. I mean, I train mentally for those moments. Again, I feel like you can visualize as much as you want and meditate as much as you want, but it doesn't prepare you for the actual thing, because anything can really happen. All you can do is prepare your best, but being in this situation is obviously different. Yeah, coming into the tournament I've been trying to figure out what mindset I should have going in because this is one of the most important tournaments for me of the season. So it's like, do I, you know, put that pressure on myself, like, yeah, I want to win, or do I kind of just go with the mindset of, you know, let's have fun, let's see what happens.

I feel like during the match I was battling myself with that, but at the end of the day the main thing for me is to try to stay in the present moment. Again, when those emotions arise it's really hard to. I felt like my attitude overall was pretty decent. I let some screams out. That helped. (Laughing.) Maybe too many.

Q. You recently started to work with a new coach. Will you be able to share some insight into how that is going and how the team dynamics are shaping up?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: Yeah, it's going great. I don't have anything bad to say about J.T. He's really great. I feel like we have great conversations together. It's not just like a one-way dialog, which is what I like. So, if something pops into my head I'll say it, and same with him, and we kind of just figure out what works best for us in that way.

I feel like my game's there. He's really helped me stay true to who I am, which is wanting to change the rhythm more and all that stuff, so, yeah, he's been helping me a lot.

Q. How did you feel the support of the fans tonight?

BIANCA ANDREESCU: It was great. I can never complain about that, especially here in Toronto. Yeah, it just sucks, like it really sucks. I wish... (crying.)

Q. It was a very good match. Very good match.

THE MODERATOR: I think we'll end it right there.

BIANCA ANDREESCU: Yeah, no, I'm just going to finish, it's okay. I actually haven't cried yet, so I guess this is my little cry sesh here.

Yeah, it sucks. Like, I guess all I can say is, like, I'm sorry that I didn't get the win for you guys, but, yeah, all I can say as well on top of that is I appreciate all the support and, yeah, see you guys in two years, right? Two years? Yeah. Thanks, guys.