Over the last year, our own Contributing Writer Tia Shah, has been writing an amazing column about trailblazing girls throughout history. This new Incredible Girls column is in that vein, only this column is about contemporary girls under the age of 25 who are doing awe-inspiring and significant things in the world. Every Friday in 2019, we are going to post a column detailing the life of an Incredible Girl and why you should know about her. Read on for a glimpse into the life of Canadian tennis champion, Bianca Andreescu.
It was one of the great sports upsets of the past few weeks when teenage tennis player, Bianca Andreescu, beat one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Serena Williams, at the U.S. Open. The 19-year-old Canadian won her first Grand Slam title, and became the first player born in the 2000s to win a title — cue me feeling very old. Serena Williams was on a quest to capture her 24th singles title, but was denied by her teenage opponent, who won 6-3, 7-5. Andreescu is also the first ever Canadian to win a Grand Slam title!
She was born on June 16, 2000 in Ontario, Canada, to Romanian parents who had moved to Canada in the mid-1990s. She started playing tennis at age 7, while in Romania with her parents. The family soon moved back to Canada where 11-year-old Bianca joined Tennis Canada’s National Training Program and started to become more serious about her career.
Bianca has battled injuries and rankings that were all over the place (she was ranked #208 in top tennis players just over a year ago) and her rise to the top is just amazing. I love hearing her talk about the power of visualization and meditation, and what both of the practices do for her. It’s almost enough to make me want to really knuckle down and begin practicing meditation myself! I can’t wait to see where Bianca’s career goes from here — we definitely haven’t heard the last of her!
-Sage Daugherty
Associate Editor
Girl Museum Inc.