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Teary Andreescu Says Trainer Sillah Saved Her from Herself in Miami Final


By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday April 3, 2021

Down 6-3, 4-0 to Ashleigh Barty in Saturday’s Miami Open final, Bianca Andreescu made the toughest decision imaginable when she pulled the plug and retired, ending a remarkable run that saw her win four consecutive three-setters and log over 12 hours of court time in the sweltering Miami heat and humidity.

Tennis Express


It was a rough decision, but the proper one, Andreescu says.

“I really didn't want to stop, but Abdul [Sillah], my fitness trainer, he basically saved me from myself in a way, because I have been through that, just continuously pushing myself and to the point where like I'd make it worse,” she said. “Yeah, he just saved me from myself. I said, I don't want to. But I trusted him. I knew it was the best decision.”

Andreescu is just making her return from a year away from the sport due to lingering injury concerns, and she admits that she has to be extra cautious with her health as she continues growing her game and working to improve her fitness ahead of the clay court season. The last thing she wants is to sideline herself again after a year that was painful both physically and psychologically for her.

“No one wants to end a tournament retiring, especially in the finals,” she said. “But things happen, and I want to look ahead in my career. I'm only 20. I'm not trying to risk anything right now. I already have a couple years ago, and I didn't want to make that same mistake again.

“So I'm proud of myself for that because I'm super resilient. For me to do that today took a lot. So, yeah, I think it was the best decision, and I'm gonna just build on from it, see what's up, and go from there.”

Andreescu, during a lengthy and emotional press conference, seemed to hint that she is tiring of taking questions about her health issues. But surely she knows it is part and parcel of having such a checkered injury past.

“It seems that I'm kind of the only one that keeps getting asked questions about injuries, which is super annoying,” she said. “I don't want for me to have a reputation of that, because it's not only me that's getting injured. So many players retired, like, Halep retired too this week.”

In the same breath, Andreescu makes peace with her fate. It’s a difficult cross to bear but until she can prove her ability to stay healthy over the course of another season, the questions will linger.

“Yeah, I mean, it's happened quite a bit, but I don't want to define myself through those [injuries],” she said. “It sucks. Like even if it's something small, sometimes I'll be extra cautious, but I'd rather be that than push through it and get it worse, because I have been through both, and today I'm glad that I stopped. It's hard for me to say that, but I'm glad that I stopped.”

Despite the excruciating loss in the final it must be said that Andreescu displayed blistering form in reaching the final of one of the biggest tournaments of the young season. Her ability to deliver in the clutch was evident, as was her exceptional feel for the game, explosive movement and power. It was an eye-opening week from the Canadian and one that demonstrates that she has the talent to win the biggest titles in the sport.

There’s a lot of positives to be taken from her Miami performance, and if she can recover quickly, her success will surely continue in 2021.

“It feels like I played three tournaments in one with all the time I had on court, which is awesome considering I haven't been playing a lot of tournaments over the last couple of months,” she said. “It's nice to have all of this under my belt. I'm feeling confident. Like, yeah, sometimes my game is not always going to be there, but I clutch it out during those times, like I'll figure it out. And sometimes I'll be on court and I'll feel totally great. But that's just a challenge of playing sports in general. And I'm here for it, and I want to be here for it for a long time.”

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