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With all of the travails of her star-crossed career, Bianca Andreescu has worked hard to try to flip her thinking, to not base her self-worth on tennis results that have only come in spurts since she burst on the scene at the top of the game in 2019.

She even wrote an honest, revealing essay about it in the Player’s Tribune.

So as she prepared to return to the US Open, scene of her Grand Slam title five years ago, for the first time since 2022, the 24-year-old took some time to give back.

Andreescu, Donna Vekic and Caroline Garcia, along with coach (and Andy’s mom) Judy Murray, hit a park in New York to spread the gospel of tennis and good health to a large group of young girls.

It was an event put on by the WTA Foundation’s community outreach program, WTA Come Play Presented by Morgan Stanley.

Here’s a glimpse of what it looked like.

(Video courtesy WTA)

Andreescu has been pretty regular in her participation in these sorts of things.

There’s no downside to it, other than spending a little bit of time. And the benefits are tremendous.

Relating to the kids

“The event was incredible being a part of something like that, even in the slightest form means a lot to me because I love giving back – especially for people and children in need and especially also through sport, because sport has given me so much,” Andreescu said during a telephone interview last week, as she left the park. “So having them experience even just a day like that, I think is incredible. And obviously with this initiative, for it to continuously happen, will be so great for the children. So I’m very grateful about today.”

It wasn’t always necessarily that easy for the self-professed “shy kid”, who was almost forced out of her shell with the massive wave attention following that six-month period of tennis on a cloud in 2019.

“I came out of my shell for sure with all the media stuff, which definitely helps in times like this because I feel like I can really show my personality,” Andreescu said. “And let’s say in an event like this, I can really speak to a kid. And if they ask me a question, I’m able to give them a good answer. And that obviously comes with experience, too.”

“I feel like I’ve always I’ve been good with kids. I don’t know why I have a huge connection to them. I mean, that’s one reason why I also wrote a children’s book, and I want to have kids one day as well,” she added. “So, yeah, I feel like a lot happens at that age. So if I can have even just the slightest influence in any way, in a positive way, then I think that’s the most important thing for me.”

No momentum coming into the US Open

Andreescu has had a lot to digest, heading into this US Open.

She lost from a winning position at home in Toronto at the National Bank Open, beaten by Lesia Tsurenko after winning the first set 6-0 in her opener. This was, just five years ago, where she won the (then) Rogers Cup to roll into that US Open with a full head of steam.

Three former champions – Osaka, Andreescu and Raducanu – return to NY

Then, last week in Cincinnati, she was beaten 6-4, 7-5 by lucky loser Elina Avanesyan in the first round

She has had to turn the page.

“Just realizing that the more you stay in the slump and the feelings of losing a match, it’s just that I know that it’s not going to serve me in any way other than, let’s say, a bad (way). So I definitely don’t have a good night’s sleep that night, but the next day is another opportunity,” Andreescu said. “And with tennis, there’s basically not a lot of time to dwell on it if you, let’s say, want to do well in the next tournament – which will happen in a few days. So that helps a lot.”

We’ll know more when Andreescu takes the court against No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini – for the third time in the last three Grand Slams – Tuesday night on Louis Armstrong Stadium.