By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday, April 29, 2023
When Bianca Andreescu was carted off the court in a wheelchair in Miami, fear was the dominant emotion. It was a gruesome scene. The Canadian’s cries of anguish echoing around the grounds as she had to end her round of 16 with Ekaterina Alexandrova in a retirement.
But Andreescu’s speedy recovery has eased fears and provided hope. One month later she has made a swift return to the court, and even though she came up short in a three-set battle with China’s Wang Xiyu on Friday in Madrid, the Canadian continues to progress and is targeting 100 percent fitness in a few weeks, when the Internazionali BNL d’Italia gets underway in Rome on May 9.
"I worked really hard during my rehab because I wanted to get back on court as soon as possible," Andreescu told WTA Insider in Madrid. "I've been through the process so I knew what to expect. My progress was pretty up and down. But the last week I would say I made the biggest progress.”
27th-ranked Andreescu recently posted a tik tock update of her strenuous rehab. No stranger to difficult run-ins with the injury bug, she has streamlined her rehab and dealt with the process in a positive manner.
Andreescu, ranked 27, tells WTA Insider that she’s confident after passing her first test and eager to continue strengthening her ankle in ahead of her next appearance.
"I'm definitely not 100 percent. I would say I'm 90 percent right now, but 90 percent confident, too, to go out there and push. Today was a great test, so hopefully in a week I can be 100 percent for Rome,” she said.