Bianca Andreescu will not be in Indian Wells to defend her BNP Paribas Open title as the Canadian is still nurturing a left knee injury that cut short her WTA Finals debut last October.
In a statement released on the BNP Paribas Open official Twitter profile, Andreescu said:
As many of you know, I’ve been working through an injury I suffered last year during the WTA Finals. It’s been a long road to recovery and while I was looking forward to getting back on court and defending my title at Indian Wells, unfortunately I’m still not 100%.
The 2019 Indian Wells title put Bianca Andreescu on the map of major WTA contenders, as she rose from No.60 to No.24 in the rankings following the triumph, and then after retiring from the next event with a shoulder injury that sidelined her for an extended period, she came back in August to win the Rogers Cup in Toronto and her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Even though she hasn’t played competitively since October, the 19-year-old Andreescu, who started last season ranked outside the Top 150, still occupies the No.4 position in the WTA rankings.
Andreescu’s withdrawal from the BNP Paribas Open is the latest in the series that includes Simona Halep (foot injury sustained in Dubai), Angelique Kerber (thigh injury) and Victoria Azarenka (undisclosed reason).
