Bianca Andreescu: How the former US Open champion and world number four went from the bottom of the tour to the top

Andreescu has been plagued by injuries – issues with her stomach and ankle kept her off the court, and her 2025 season was delayed by an appendectomy.

Her form has suffered and she failed to get past the fourth round of the Grand Slam after winning the US Open, dropping from the world’s fourth-highest ranking in 2019 to 228 earlier this year.

In the year In early 2026, she decided to return to an area where she had not played since 2018, giving life on the WTA Tour to the ITF.

Competition levels run from W15 – the lowest level – to W100. Andreescu competed in the W35 and W75 editions, the total prize pot for the W35 race was £26,000.

The makeup of the ITF Tour tends to be young players trying to make their mark on the sport, women who haven’t made it onto the WTA Tour, or players who are using it to regain their former form.

The crowd may be small and the linesmen rare, but the competition on the court is fierce.

“The hunger the women had where I played, every match was very difficult, and I feel like maybe on the WTA tour, the athletes maybe feel more comfortable with some things,” Andreescu said.

“(On the WTA Tour) some things are being paid. But at that (ITF) level, nothing is being paid, and you’re just breaking even. I was there once, so I know how it is.

“I don’t want people to feel like the ITF Tour is Mickey Mouse compared to the WTA Tour because that’s not the case.

“I have a lot of admiration and respect for the women who continue to crush on the tour, because it’s not easy, even on the WTA tour, it’s not easy.”

Vemick, who joined Andreescu’s team in September 2025, echoed these sentiments.

“Every player out there has to prove themselves and everybody is hungry and they don’t get tired of playing on tour for many years,” he says.

“They are all driven by their dreams and passions because many of them are young athletes.

“So sometimes it’s a transition class or stage where they come from beginners to professional water and some of them have a lot of confidence.”