Bianca Andreescu gives Nike a dressing down at US Open before issuing apology
She went to the locker room and when she had changed she sat at her locker and thought to herself: “This is not my sport and I am not here to make friends,” Andreescu said.
“I just felt so frustrated because I just didn’t want to play tennis. I wanted to play football, volleyball, something other than my sport.”
“I didn’t want to play tennis because of the pressure and the expectations and when you play tennis you want to play against opponents and you want to play against the best. I just didn’t like it anymore. It was the last one.”
She was left fuming at the team’s locker room after her team lost 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 to the first seeded Serena Williams, whose match was delayed due to a rain delay.
“I just said to myself: What are you doing, Bianca? What is up with you? You wanted to play tennis. You play tennis. You don’t want to play tennis,” Andreescu said.
With her teammates gathered around her, she told them: “I apologize to you because this is not my fault and I don’t know what I’m doing, but I never want to do that again.”
“But I did play tennis and I just said that was the last one. And then I came to the locker room and I said to myself: What are you doing?”
Andreescu got on the court for her next match but her coaches didn’t let her play. With her two losses to Williams on the year, Andreescu is now playing just in the doubles competition.
‘I was frustrated’
Andreescu is a player known for her ability to be outspoken and her often controversial views on matters such as gender and sexuality.
Since joining the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) with a seven-month suspension she has been vocal about both these topics after being reinstated.
But after a loss to No. 28 world No. 4 Venus Williams in the