Canada will aim to defend its Billie Jean King Cup crown without its Grand Slam champion.
Bianca Andreescu has stepped out of this month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain.
The 2019 US Open champion is taking time out for “rest and recovery” Tennis Canada announced.
The Canadian team, led by captain Heidi El Tabakh, features Leylah Annie Fernandez (Laval, QC), Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC), Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON), and Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON).
Canada is competing to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to defend its Billie Jean King Cup championship, starting with a quarterfinal clash against the winner of Great Britain and Germany on November 17.
Andreescu, who has battled injuries, returned to action for the first time since the 2024 US Open in October, playing in two events in Japan. She reached the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis. While the recent results are a step in the right direction for the 2019 US Open champion, “rest and recovery are crucial in order for her to return to the circuit in top form,” Tennis Canada announced.