INJURED Bianca Andreescu also out from Doha because of her knee

Bianca Andreescu is yet to recover from the knee injury she sustained at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen last year. The 19-year-old cracked her knee as she stretched to return a serve during her match with Simona Halep. While she was positive she would return to the court for the start of the 2020 season, the US Open champion has had to withdraw from several tournaments this year.

Andreescu withdrew from the Australian Open

The Canadian player began by withdrawing from the Auckland Open last month. She had reached the tournament’s final last year but decided to skip the event in the hope that she would be fit for the Australian Open. However, she also missed the first Grand Slam of the season in Australia, saying that her body had not fully recuperated from her knee injury. Hopes were high that the world number six would make her comeback to the court after she was part of the Canadian team for their Fed Cup playoff tie against Switzerland. Despite making the team, Andreescu did not play in the qualification tie and Canada lost 3-1.

She will not play at the Qatar Total Open next week

Andreescu’s rehabilitation has taken longer than many expected. The teenager had revealed that she wouldn’t require surgery on her knee but she is yet to make a full recovery. She withdrew from this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships saying that it was too soon to make her comeback at the tournament. “I’m very sad to announce that I won’t be able to compete in the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. I’m not at 100% yet and following my team and doctor’s recommendation, I don’t want to take any risk to re-injure my knee.” The world number six will also miss the Qatar Total Open in Doha next week. The Premier 5 tournament has an estimated $2.940 million dollars in prize money.

After withdrawing from four major tournaments so far this season, it is unclear if she will participate at the Indian Wells Open next month. The tournament will run from March 11-22. Andreescu is the defending champion but her chances of defending her title are now in doubt. Despite a lack of playing time on the court, her position on the WTA rankings has remained steady. The 19-year-old is projected to rise to the number 4 position next week. She will occupy the career-high position for the second time since October last year.

Bianca Vanessa Andreescu’s ranking and performance in 2020

At the moment ranked no.5, Bianca Vanessa played her last match on the 30^th of October 2019 when she had to retire when playing against Karolina Pliskova in the round robin and the scoreline was 6-3 .