Bianca Andreescu is now just one win away from securing a place in the main draw of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. As she battles through the pressure-filled qualifying rounds, the Canadian has shed light on the unique mindset she’s adopting to balance enjoyment with the high stakes.
How Bianca Andreescu Is Approaching Her Wimbledon Qualifying Campaign
After a first-round exit at the Libéma Open, Andreescu bounced back strongly with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 win over Polona Hercog in the first qualifying round at Wimbledon. She then secured a hard-fought 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 comeback victory over Jil Teichmann to move one step closer to a spot in the main draw.
Speaking to the media after her win, Andreescu opened up about her unconventional approach to the qualifying rounds, explaining that she treats every match like a Grand Slam final.
“I am trying to make every match like a Grand Slam final – that is my mindset – with a little bit more enjoyment. To do this in every match is not easy. But I try to go in with the same mindset. Every match is important, no matter who you play. I am saying that plus enjoyment. Because there is a lot of pressure that comes with that. So it is just looking at it from a different perspective. But it is going well-ish,” Andreescu said.
The 2019 US Open champion took pride in how she handled all the “adversity” during the match, highlighting the London heat wave, which has also been a talking point among players like Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff.
“Tennis can give all sorts of surprises. I am just super happy with my focus, especially at the end,” she added. “I am just super happy how I dealt with everything because there was a lot of adversity today. The heat, obviously. She had adversity too in different ways. I am super happy with how I managed to close it off in the end. It wasn’t easy.”
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After seeing her rankings tumble in recent years due to a series of injuries and illnesses, Andreescu has been rebuilding her form on the ITF circuit. She disclosed how the experience of competing without spectators at lower-level events was helping her at the grass-court Major.
“Playing those tournaments I think helped me develop more tools to be able to hang in there in any type of environment. Because I was playing, no one was watching, there are no stands, things like that. I am very grateful for that experience. I think all that adversity helped me come through that tight match today,” she said.
Bianca Andreescu will need to maintain her strong mindset and overcome No. 15 seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the final round of qualifiers to reach the main draw of the Wimbledon Championships. Andreescu emerged victorious in their only previous encounter at the 2019 China Open, winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-1.
