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The hard-hitting Canadian announced herself as a force in the
game when, at 19-years-old, she defeated Serena Williams in the
final at Flushing Meadows.
Soon after that triumph she faced a number of frustrating injury
setbacks, but has since put together a solid season, highlighted
by a run to the fourth round in New York last month.
"Always remain grateful, even if you're having huge success,
because it can all be taken away from you in a split second,"
Andreescu told reporters ahead of the start of the tournament in
Indian Wells, which she also won in 2019.
"For me, it was being injured right after (winning the U.S.
Open). That was really hard for me. I felt like I didn't savor
it as much. That's one thing that I learned now that I wish I
did back then."
Women's tennis has seen a bevy of rising young stars including
18-year-old U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and fellow
teenagers Leylah Fernandez and Coco Gauff.
Andreescu said staying grounded is key.
"Don't let it go too much to your head," she said.
"Stay confident, obviously, but don't become stuck up. Stay
humble, remain grateful and continue to work hard because as
everyone says, it's easy to get to the top. But staying at the
top, that's the hardest part."
Andreescu said she has needed to learn to stop dwelling on her
own past successes to turn the page.
"The main thing this year for me was to stop looking in the past
because that's what I was doing a lot and that's what was
ruining me," she said.
"I would always say, 'Oh I want to play like I did back in 2019.
Why am I not playing like I used to?'" she said.
"But I had to switch that mindset and start focusing on the
present moment, because the past is the past."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Lincoln
Feast)
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