@BAndreescu_ (#BiancaAndreescu, ofc) catapulted herself so fast to stardom that I am having difficulties forming a mental picture of her. And so are most of her new fans, attracted to her rising star like loving insects to the blinding light. I’ll be giving you 3 reasons, not counting the intro, but if you can only remember / have time for one, remember creative visualization.
I first mentioned Bianca while mostly expressing my concern for Serena Williams, who, I suspected, did not “retire” due to injury but rather gave up, partly out of frustration, partly out of some kind of sisterly feeling. I didn’t feel that she was mentally prepared and felt that she didn’t want to win the way she did before becoming a mother, and that the “killer inside” was replaced by the “universal mother inside”. This transformation is probably making her more fulfilled and happier as a person, and is better for her child, but I can’t help feeling that the world of sport and more specifically the world of tennis has lost an amazing phenomenon. It’s as if a god descended from heavens, losing herself in the crowd and choosing love over immortality.
LE: It’s also possible that Serena’s injuries were unbearable but she was just stronger than we give her credit for and did not show it. I just don’t know, I can only speculate; also, see the US Open Final highlights and press conference.
And while I am rooting for Bianca as well as Simona, I know that they each could achieve and would have treasured a “real” win over Serena at her peak. Winning over a motherly Serena feels like an incomplete victory and is not what they have been training and preparing for. It’s like you train for a stunt to jump with your motorcycle over the Grand Canyon and as you get airborne, an angel flies along and holds your bra for half the trip, despite your protests.
But enough Angel BS. Let me fulfill the expectations I created with the title and tell you why Bianca is so cool and still on your mind.
1. She’s one of the most versatile players. Bianca has multiple strengths and is hard to read [by her opponents, principally] because she’s so new to this and defies “opposition research” in that she is able to easily switch between slices and drop shots, the only constant being aggressive play. She just “feels” the game and gets into “flow” more so than almost anyone. Additionally, she wonderfully pivots between being a fearsome beast while playing to being an empathetic, emotionally connected human to whomever she is interacting with, whether that’s her opponents, her current coach/Tauziat/Hristache or the mass media. I have not been watching much tennis, but still, from my limited vantage point, she’s formidable at this and better than any other athlete.
2. While most of the heavy lifting was undoubtedly done by herself, her mother helped building her mental strength by introducing her to creative visualization (at 12) and meditation (arguably, the former is a part of the latter). It’s what the New York, both ~er (tny-crv) and ~ Times (nyt-crv) start off with and it’s really something you too should look into (pt-brenner). She even worked on improving her mind with a shrink (aka therapist or psychologist, something she took some time to be sufficiently comfortable to discuss in public). Also, she had played other sports before tennis, also thanks to her parents. This apparent strength caused one commentator to say that she “carries herself like an alpha”, which is refreshing and unusual for a “newcomer” to the sport’s elite, especially a person her age.
3. She benefitted from growing up in two countries. Though born in Mississauga, Canada, she returned to Romania with her mother, discovered tennis and took her first lessons there (Pitesti), then came back to Canada, and perfected her game, then became a pro. She lives in Thornhill. While Romania is not seen as an educational Mecca/North Star, exposure to two somewhat different education systems in the early years is a strong boost to one’s chances of success in life, as otherwise recognized by Andrei Caramitru (and not so much by Herta Muller). The more equally you belong/were exposed to two different cultures (and the more distant they are geographically and otherwise), the more able you are to step back and critically examine them, drawing from each strength and combining the best parts. In the case of Romania, starting out in a country where resources are scarce and there is strong emphasis on early build-up of theoretical foundations, then being given the more generous opportunities of a richer country, with an emphasis on “soft/general skills” such as communication, teamwork and mindset, make one more apt to not only understand and appreciate the differences, but also to take advantage of all that is available, in ways that a Romanian simply doesn’t have and a Canadian native has but might not fully acknowledge/understand/appreciate.
And this last point (emphasizing the differences and the comparative blessings) is why some Romanians take their kids to the Communism museum (original) – and more should!
LE: On the question of whether she’s more Romanian, her answer sheds more on her self-image: she sees herself as [more] Canadian.
Let’s start with Stinson’s take on it (tts-stinson).
Near the end of her press conference, one of the many foreign journalists asked her about being the daughter of two Romanians. Was it more difficult to grow up in Canada as the child of immigrants? Andreescu did not hesitate. “Definitely not,” she said. “No, Canada is such an amazing country. It’s so multicultural. I had no trouble growing up having Romanian parents whatsoever. That’s why I love my country so, so much.”
This is more useful to Romanians, so here’s a translation of her answer:
"Canada e o tara extraordinara, e atat de multiculturala, incat nu am avut nicio problema sa cresc acolo avand parinti romani. De aceea imi iubesc tara atat de mult.
Nu am cuvinte sa le multumesc suficient celor de la federatia canadiana pentru tot ce au facut. Am fost cu ei de cand aveam zece ani si programele pe care le-au pus si pe care le pun in aplicare au facut bine, nu numai mie, ci si altor sportivi canadieni. Cu siguranta, fara ajutorul lor nu as fi aici". Vezi mai multe despre nationalitatea si “nationalismul” Biancai.
Stinson continues.
But she was consistent in her answers. Earlier in the tournament, she had been asked about the experience of her parents, Nicu and Maria, in leaving Romania for Canada. She said they had left in the mid-90s. Romania was having problems, she said. “So they wanted to just have a better life, so they came into Canada,” Andreescu said. “I think they made the right decision,” she said. (..)
It is the ideal of the immigrant success story, one repeated the world over: The parents leave in search of a better life, and they find it in a new country. In this case, they have a child, and she has opportunities to grow and nurture her talent in a way she otherwise might not have had. And in return, Canada has a wonderful star, a crusher of tennis balls who is now the country’s first Slam singles champion, with designs on many more.
That decision Bianca Andreescu’s parents made, 25 years ago? It was, quite evidently, the right decision for everyone.
As previously explained, the kids' education reason is the only valid one for immigration, and even that one's based on stale school memories..
To summarize, Bianca’s on your mind because her mind, i.e., her strongest suit, just won’t quit. You (i.e., your mind). Or winning.
LE: and now.. branding and Trudeau.
Sources / More info: dw-uso, tny-crv, pt-brenner, nyt-crv, ytcbc1, ytcbc2, cbc-mindset, cbc-5th, w-bianca, tts-stinson
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