Bianca Andreescu shares what she told Serena Williams after US Open 2019 final

Bianca Andreescu is on a break from tennis and enjoying other things in life. The Canadian is currently in Romania to promote a children's book that she co-wrote.

Andreescu worked alongside Mary Beth Leatherdale to author a kids' book called 'Bibi Got Game: A Story about Tennis, Meditation and a Dog Named Coco.' The book will be launched on November 4 at the Humanitas Bookstore in Cișmigiu, Romania.

The 23-year-old recently sat down with the Romanian publication Gazeta Sporturilor to discuss various topics, including the highlights of her career, her passion, mental health, and more. During the interview, she was asked about the biggest moment of her career, the US Open triumph in 2019.

Interviewers asked Bianca Andreescu to give insights on a conversation that she had with Serena Williams after the final. Andreescu, who was 20 at that time, defeated the American legend in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, to lift her maiden Grand Slam title. After the contest was done, Andreescu approached Williams to give a compliment on the purple outfit that she wore for the match.

The former World No. 4 shared that she was not intimated by the weight of the occasion at Flushing Meadows and was aware that she needed to be mentally strong to outlast the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

"I told her she looked really good in what she was wearing, she had a purple dress, I liked it, I had something purple back then too. But I never felt... Yes, she's Serena Williams, but to get on the court, I had to get on her level, mentally," She said.

Bianca Andreescu was seeded No. 15 at the 2019 US Open. She bettered Katie Volyents, Kirsten Flipkens, Caroline Wozniacki, Taylor Townsend, Elise Mertens, Belinda Bencic, and Serena Williams to be crowned a Grand Slam champion.

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Bianca Andreescu elaborates on the first time she felt the pressure on WTA Tour

Bianca Andreescu

During the interview, when asked about the first time that she felt the weight of being a tennis player, Bianca Andreescu gave an interesting answer. The Canadian named 2021 as the year she felt the pressure on the WTA Tour, as opposed to 2019 when she burst onto the professional circuit.

Andreescu said that in 2019, she was just focused on her tennis and did not pay attention to other things happening around her. This allowed her to flourish without any constraints.

However, in 2021, she was at a very different juncture in her career. Disappointing performance at the Canadian Open and US Open and a plummet in ranking led to more pressure on her.

"In 2021, when I returned. In 2019 I felt no pressure at all. It had been a new thing. I didn't care about anyone, just my tennis. I didn't care about the attention around me, about social media. But in 2021, when I returned, the pressure began.I played in Canada and the US Open, I didn't do as well as I would have liked and I went down in the ranking. I got to 50th or something, I can't remember. I'm trying to forget about this period!" Bianca Andreescu said.

Since her US Open win, Bianca Andreescu has seen her form and ranking dip considerably. Injuries have prevented her from making any steady progress on the tour and adding more titles to her current tally of three. She also won the Indian Wells Open and Canadian Open in 2019.

Currently ranked World No. 92, the Canadian last played at the 2023 Canadian Open in August, losing to Camila Giorgi in the opening round, 6-3, 6-2.