Bianca Andreescu strolled into the main press conference room at Melbourne Park on Friday, sat down, and took her first question.
But before answering it directly, she felt compelled to address what everybody in the room was no doubt also thinking.
“First of all, hi, people, it's been a while. Yeah, it's been a really long while,” she said.
“But I'm happy to be back.”
The tennis world is also happy to have Andreescu back, too. The 20-year-old Canadian phenom is a Grand Slam champion and ranked in the top 10, a luminous presence among a burgeoning cast of WTA stars populating a talent-stacked tour.
Yet nobody has seen her in action for more than 15 months.
A meniscus tear ended her WTA Finals campaign in October 2019, just a month after she broke through for the US Open title with a stunning victory over Serena Williams in the final. Physical problems have plagued her since, repeatedly stalling a highly-anticipated comeback to the game.
She even pulled out of this week’s Grampians Trophy event ahead of Australian Open 2021. But, she stressed, it was purely strategic.
“I saw a tag from TSN saying, ‘Oh, Bianca's first tournament back, blah, blah, blah’. I'm like, ‘Oh, God. Here we go again’,” she smiled. “I made sure to post on social media that I'm good, I'm ready to go.
“I was just grateful enough to have a week training before the Australian Open. I've been playing matches. I've been playing sets. I've been feeling good.”
And so, the Canadian’s return to the tour will come in the high-stakes environment of a Grand Slam tournament.
Seeded No.8, she opens her campaign against Romanian former world No.20 Mihaela Buzarnescu.
Complicating Andreescu’s preparation for AO 2021 was the fact she was confined to her hotel room for 24 hours a day for a fortnight after her coach tested positive to COVID-19 upon arriving in Melbourne.
She passed the time with Zoom fitness sessions, shadow tennis, Xbox, reading, meditating and imagery work – and, in her words, a few minutes each day staring at the wall.
But it was that mental work which will provide the key.
It was central to her rapid improvement throughout 2019, during which she won the prestigious Indian Wells and Toronto titles before her breakthrough at Flushing Meadows. She won 48 of her first 52 matches that season, compiled a winning streak of 17 late in the year, and soared from outside the top 150 to No.4.
MORE: AO Spotlight: Bianca Andreescu
And she continues to lean into it in 2021.
“I never truly take a break … I'm always working in my mind,” she said.
“My mind is going on 24/7 with all that imagery work. There's many studies that show imagery work is just as good as actually doing that specific thing that you're picturing in your head.
“I don't really think my return to play will be that dramatic just because of that. I really trust in my capabilities. Also the time off, I was able to reflect a lot on myself, on the world, how things have changed so dramatically all at once.
“I've learnt a lot about that, about myself. So I feel like I'm in a really good place right now mentally, physically, emotionally, all of that.”
Williams once described Andreescu as an “old soul”. And listening to the Canadian speak, you get a sense of just how impressively mature and self-aware she is, despite her youth.
She is keeping expectations in check and not putting pressure on herself in her return to competition, instead adopting the mindset of being “so goddamn grateful” to be back competing.
She tries to avoid the trap of “why me?” thinking when it comes to her injury struggles. She “cannot stress enough” the importance of controlling what she can control, which lowers her stress levels.
And, now healthy, she said her focus was on the future instead of the past.
“I try to kind of use these things and think of these things as an advantage towards me, my body, my mind,” she explained.
However, Andreescu did allow herself a trip down memory lane, back to the time she was dominating the sport in a standout season that ended with her being awarded the WTA’s Newcomer of the Year prize.
“During the quarantine, I was watching myself play back in 2019. I really got into the mood, into the mindset. I felt the same things like I did in 2019, which I think really helps me just get in character,” she revealed.
“It really inspired me, too, just watching myself play again. I don't normally like to do that. But I think it was good for me since I haven't played for so long.
“Hopefully that can help me bounce back on the court quicker.”