It’s hard to believe that Bianca Andreescu hasn’t represented Canada at the Billie Jean King Cup since 2022. A lot has happened over the four-year span since her last appearance against Italy and Switzerland in the Finals in Glasgow, both for her and for the team she is reintegrating for the Qualifiers against Kazakhstan.
The Canadian squad was crowned World Champions for the first time in 2023, there are plenty of new faces, and Andreescu is in the midst of an impressive resurgence, so the reunion is coming at a perfect time.
“I love being in a team environment like this,” Andreescu said ahead of the matches on indoor clay at Beeline Arena. “We all speak about tennis being an individual sport and coming into these weeks definitely helps give you a different perspective of what the sport has to offer and I’m just grateful to play amongst such amazing girls.”
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Asked about her most favourite Billie Jean King Cup memories, the 2019 U.S. Open champion recalls some “crazy ties” in Canada, notably against Ukraine in 2018 and against Kazakhstan in 2017. Both ties were played in Montreal. But it’s the bonds she gets to build during this event that are especially meaningful to her.
“The biggest thing for me is getting to know everybody on the team in a different type of environment where you’re having dinner with the same people every day for like a week,” Andreescu explained. “It’s more those moments that I appreciate. Obviously, we’re here to play tennis and to win but for me it’s the little moments in-between that I really enjoy the most.”
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Among the compelling storylines that will play out during this tie will be watching Andreescu go up against Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan’s top-ranked singles player in Astana and one of Andreescu’s good friends on Tour. It won’t be the first time they’ve faced each other in Billie Jean King Cup action. The aforementioned 2017 tie included a Putintseva three-set victory over her Canadian friend and foe.
“Yulia (Putintseva) is a great competitor and she’s a great person. Off the court, she’s super kind and very funny. Her and I get along very, very well, I feel like she’s super real and genuine,” Andreescu added. “On the court, she’s very expressive with her emotions which, honestly, I respect because I feel like suppressing your emotions isn’t good.”
Beyond the rematch and a chance at redemption, there is no doubt that Andreescu will once again play a pivotal leading role for her country this weekend. It’s an opportunity she has been eager to seize and one she’s earned with her results so far this season. Andreescu as a Team Canada cornerstone also feels like a return to normalcy which has been a long time coming. She’s back where she belongs in a setting that will always feel like home.
Photos by: Sarah-Jäde Champagne
