Bianca Andreescu's historic U.S. Open win is inspiring young people from across the country in the game of tennis.

By Chad Klassen

BIANCA ANDREESCU

Kamloops tennis players inspired by Andreescu’s historic U.S. Open win

Sep 11, 2019 | 10:02 AM

KAMLOOPS — From a relatively unknown to the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam title, Bianca Andreescu has changed the face of tennis across the country.

Young girls are now vowing to pick up a tennis racket in favour of a soccer ball or a hockey stick.

She inspired a nation the minute she defeated Serena Williams in Saturday’s final. An overwhelming sense of pride welled up for many in Canada, especially for those who dedicate themselves to the game.

“I really enjoyed watching it. It was really exciting when she won,” said Kamloops tennis player Paige Grice. “Especially against Serena Williams because she’s such an amazing player and she has been for so long. I think it’s just really big for Canadian tennis.”

Andreescu’s magical run, which saw her drop just two sets all tournament, was about as dominant as it comes. The 19 year old’s mental toughness, tested in the final when Williams stormed back from 5-1 down to tie the second set, is a quality Grice looks up to as a fellow player.

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“Her mental game is really admirable,” said Grice. “Tennis is a physically-challenging but it’s especially mentally-challenging. The way she can stay focused, even when things aren’t going well, and the way she can celebrate when things are going well, it’s just really impressive.”

Even the boys at the Kamloops Tennis Centre are being inspired by Andreescu.

“It’s really nice. It’s very exciting,” said player Justin Friesen. “First, we had the Raptors and now we have this. I’m really hoping that [Denis] Shapovalov call pull off a Grand Slam at some point. I think Milos [Raonic] is done, to be completely honest. But I was super excited to see that Bianca managed to win a Grand Slam at 19.”

Thomas Friesen added, “I think it’s good for Canadian tennis. I think it will inspire a lot more people to join and make the sport even bigger in Canada.”

Kamloops tennis coach Kelly Hubbard says even before Andreescu, the sport in Canada has been on the rise. In 2014, Eugenie Bouchard rose to stardom for a short time, appearing in the Wimbledon final and making two other semi-final appearances that year. On the men’s side, there are the likes of Shapovalov (33rd in the world), Raonic (24th), and Felix Auger-Aliassime (21st), he’s seen an increase in participation in the Interior and across the province.

“We have a lot of players now. At the grassroots level, tournaments are packed,” said Hubbard. “When they go to tournaments, their draws are full, so it’s not like they go there and there are eight kids. It’s a full draw. It wasn’t always that way.”

Hubbard expects draws only to get busier with Andreescu’s win. He also expects an uptick at the Kamloops Tennis Centre, which has experienced an increase.

“Even with our programs here. We have progressive tennis, which is red ball, yellow ball and green dot. They’re all full, so we have a waitlist,” said Hubbard. “So I think this can only help it.”