Bianca Andreescu Out Of Canada's Billie Jean King Cup Team
WTA
Bianca Andreescu won't represent Canada at the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup because of an injury she suffered at the Miami Open.
Andreescu was playing some of the best tennis she has played in recent times at the Miami Open not long ago. The Canadian won three matches without too many problems, beating players such as Emma Raducanu, Maria Sakkari, and Sofia Kenin.
Then, it was time to take on Ekaterina Alexandrova, and it was in that match that Andreescu injured herself. It was somewhat of a freak injury because she was moving well but then suddenly slipped around the baseline and grabbed her ankle while being audibly in pain.
She couldn’t continue the match because, obviously, she barely walked because of an injury, which meant competing wasn't an option, and it was confirmed as an ankle injury after the match.
That same injury will now prevent her from playing in the Billie Jean King Cup, which was both a huge handicap for the country and Andreescu as well. She was dreaming of playing for Canada again, and this was a golden chance for that.
The Canadian team will now miss a player who was playing at a really high level and would have been very useful in the upcoming matches. Andreescu's replacement is Katherine Sebov, who is a much less experienced player, but she is excited to represent Canada.
"I am very happy to have been invited to represent Canada, and I look forward to joining my teammates in Vancouver. It's not every day that we have the chance to participate in a Billie Jean King Cup meeting at home, and I hope that my recent performances will give me confidence."
Leylah Fernandez, Rebecca Marino, and Gabriela Dabrowski will be the other three Canadians competing in Vancouver against Belgium on April 14th and 15th. Team captain Heidi El Tabakh knows what challenge lies ahead, especially without Andreescu.
"We know that it will be a really difficult duel to win. I believe that it is the desire to win that will make the difference, because at this level and in this context, the girls of both teams will play very high-quality tennis."
