Bianca Andreescu, Queen in the North: ‘This is definitely not an overnight thing’

TORONTO, Canada - Bianca Andreescu visualized herself playing her best tennis and hoisting the Rogers Cup trophy in front of an adoring home crowd in Toronto. 

An avid practitioner of ‘creative visualization meditation', Andreescu also had an image of herself staying calm and collected in the final against 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena, a player she greatly admires. 

Read more: Hometown hero Andreescu claims Toronto title after Serena retires: You just have to listen to your body

In the end, she achieved those goals, becoming the first Canadian woman in the Open Era to win a Rogers Cup title - an amazing feat considering it’s Andreescu’s first tournament back in action after a lingering shoulder injury forced her out of Roland Garros - but it unfolded in a way that no one could have anticipated, with Serena being forced to pull the plug early due to a back spasm, retiring at 3-1 in the first set. 

Compared to her electrifying run at Indian Wells, where she battled past Angelique Kerber in a dramatic three-set final, such an abrupt end to her Toronto campaign might have seemed like a letdown - after all, no player wants to win via retirement.

Source: Wtatennis.com

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