Bianca Andreescu writes note to fans after nightmare injury at Miami Open - 'Worst pain I've ever felt'

Updated 29/03/2023 at 10:09 GMT

It was very tough to watch Bianca Andreescu suffer yet another heartbreaking injury during her Miami Open round-of-16 encounter with Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday. The Canadian, who had to withdraw from the match when leading 2-0 in the second set of the match with the 18th seed after she collapsed to the ground in agony after turning her ankle, has now communicated with her fans.

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Bianca Andreescu has written a note to her fans on social media after she suffered a nasty ankle injury during her match against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Miami Open - referring to it as "the worst pain I've ever felt".

The Canadian, who won the US Open title in 2019 in what was a sensational breakthrough, has seen her career plagued with injuries since then, and the latest setback came during the second set of the match at Hard Rock Stadium.

Andreescu looked to be firing nicely as she led 2-0 in the second set of her encounter with Alexandrova, having lost the opening set, before she collapsed to the ground in agony after turning her lower leg on the court.

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Amid heartbreaking scenes, she was eventually taken off the court in a wheelchair after having to withdraw from the tournament with her opponent giving her a classy embrace having shown a great deal of concern.

Fans stood to applaud Andreescu as she departed the stadium in tears, and the response she has received on social media has been hugely encouraging, as she noted in a message to fans.

"Woke up with a brace on my foot… anyone know what happened?" she wrote on Twitter.

"On a serious note, though… that was the worst pain I’ve ever felt… praying for nothing serious.

"Still waiting on official results. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and kind words, doesn’t go unnoticed."

She later added, following a wave of positive and encouraging responses from fans: "So much love. Y'all are the best."

Andreescu's retirement on Monday was the third occasion she has been forced to withdraw from a match due to suffering a bad injury.

The 22-year-old endured a very disrupted 2020 campaign as she was sidelined for numerous months due to a knee injury, and she has not enjoyed much luck with her fitness since then.

"I’m just really sorry that it happened to [Andreescu]," Alexandrova said. "Seeing her on the court in so much pain, it’s just painful to watch. You cannot help, you can do nothing, which is terrible.

"I think she’s going to be fine soon, and I’m wishing for her speedy recovery. The first set was super tough and great, and it probably could be a pretty good match for both of us, but unfortunately [Andreescu’s injury] happened."