Bianca Andreescu takes 2020 season off, plans to focus on health

PARIS — Bianca Andreescu, last year’s U.S. Open champion, will sit out the French Open and the rest of 2020.

The 20-year-old Canadian announced her decision to remain sidelined this season via a post Tuesday on social media.

“I have come to the difficult decision to skip the clay court swing this year and will be taking the remainder of the season off to focus on my health and training,” Andreescu wrote.

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“As hard as it was to come to this conclusion, I have so much to look forward to in 2021, including the Olympics; I want to use this time to focus on my game so I can come back stronger and better than ever,” she said.

At New York in 2019, Andreescu became the first tennis player from Canada to win a Grand Slam singles championship. She also reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 last year.

But she hasn’t competed since last October because of an injured knee, including missing the chance to try to defend her title at the U.S. Open.

0:30 Canadian Bianca Andreescu, defending U.S. Open champion, pulls out of upcoming Grand Slam

Andreescu, who is currently ranked No. 7, joins No. 1 Ash Barty and No. 3 Naomi Osaka in skipping the French Open, which starts Sunday in Paris.

Barty won the 2019 title at Roland Garros, and Osaka won the U.S. Open this month for her third Grand Slam trophy.