Absent from tennis action, Bianca Andreescu gets her mind blown watching men's rugby

2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu has revealed that she's a fan of rugby. The 24-year-old Canadian's tennis career is on hold after she pulled out of January's Australian Open, citing upcoming appendix surgery as the reason. She's not played on the WTA Tour since, but has indicated she could return for the clay court season.

Andreescu won her Major at just 19, and appeared destined for a stellar future. Instead, she suffered a serious back injury in 2023 that forced her out of the game for nine months. After something of a revival in early 2024 and a decent performance at Wimbledon, she again succumbed to injuries and inactivity, losing six of her nine matches.

As Andreescu continues on the road to recovery, she recently shared her love of rugby on her Instagram account, posting two images of her standing on the touchline at a men's rugby match, captioned:

"Rugby is on another level"

Bianca Andreescu Instagram

Bianca Andreescu Instagram

Andreescu was once ranked as high as No. 4 in the world after her US Open win. As a result of her injuries and absence from the tour, she's now dropped to the World's No. 132.

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Bianca Andreescu aims to return to the WTA Tour for the clay court season

Toray Pan Pacific Open - Day 5 - Source: Getty

3-time Tour winner Bianca Andreescu had originally planned to return to tennis for the Merida Open in Mexico, but didn't feel ready. The last time Andreescu was seen on a tennis court was last October at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she reached the quarterfinals. She's now fully focused on an early summer return, with her injury problems behind her. Before the Australian Open, she said via tennis.com:

“I unexpectedly started experiencing some sharp pain in my stomach, which led to an emergency appendectomy. The surgery went smoothly, and I'm on the road to recovery. My plan is to be back on the court for the clay season, stronger than ever."

Andreescu caused a major shock in defeating Serena Williams to win her Major title in 2019. Her 6-3, 7-5 win over the American icon, who was chasing her 24th Grand Slam singles title, was entirely unexpected. It was the then 38-year-old Williams' last Major final.

Andreescu has previously revealed that she enjoys watching rugby. She was at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she was defeated in the second round by Donna Vekic. According to CBC Olympics, Canada's Olympic broadcaster, she was on hand to watch Canada’s women’s rugby sevens team go for gold. Unfortunately, they lost to New Zealand.