WESTON, Fla. — The Midtown Athletic Club is known as the largest racquet club in Weston, Florida, and it's currently hosting a former Grand Slam champion working her way back to the top.
"The club here is amazing, and I see that there are a lot of tennis fans too, so I saw a lot of people come to my matches and support, which is great. The environment is amazing, and I love playing on clay," said Bianca Andreescu, a professional tennis star.
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The clay courts at Midtown remind Andreescu of her childhood.
"I remember playing in these tournaments 10 years ago when I was 14 and 15, so it's definitely giving me a lot of motivation," Andreescu said.
Andreescu's motivation comes from the heights she reached as a teen. In 2019, at just 19 years old, she beat Serena Williams to claim her first career US Open championship.
The former champion was on top of the world, boasting a number 4 overall women's ranking. However, since then, things have been challenging.
"I haven't had the easiest last few years," Andreescu said.
It's due to several injuries to her back, shoulder, knee, and ankles. So, she and her team had to go back to the drawing board.
"Just take a step back and get fit, get our skillsets up, and compete well," said Andreescu's coach, Dusan Vemic.
And that's why she's at the Midtown Courts, which aren't typically where you'd see a former world champion. But for Andreescu, she's on what she calls her road to redemption tour.
When asked about working her way up from the bottom to the top and whether this gives her an extra sense of hunger as she progresses, Andreescu was clear about her motivation.
"Oh, 100 percent. It's for sure very humbling, but I know that this is the way for me to hopefully get back up there, because I know what I can do and I know what I can accomplish," Andreescu said.
