Bianca Andreescu should lead Canada against Switzerland in Fed Cup

The first edition of the Fed Cup Qualifiers will take place between February 7-8, with 16 squads hoping to grab eight spots at the Fed Cup Finals together with France, Australia, the Czech Republic and the host Hungary. In Biel, Switzerland will host Canada on an indoor hard court, with Belinda Bencic, Jil Teichmann, Viktorija Golubic, Stefanie Voegele and Timea Bacsinszky carrying the home nation against Bianca Andreescu, Leylah Fernandez, Eugenie Bouchard and Gabriela Dabrowski.

World no. 6 and the US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is yet to play a match after the WTA Finals last year, suffering a knee injury against Karolina Pliskova and staying sidelined ever since, skipping both the ASB Classic and the Australian Open.

At the moment, it is uncertain if Bianca will be ready to compete the next weekend but she will travel to Biel with the rest of the team, looking forward to at least practice with them. After the first training runs in Los Angeles, Bianca went to Barcelona to see Dr.

Angel Ruiz Cotorro who also helped Rafael Nadal in the past, hitting the court again in Monte Carlo and hoping to return at her 100% as soon as possible. “We’re not making any decisions at this point,” coach Sylvain Bruneau said.

“Bianca is eligible; she’s on the team. But one thing is for sure; she’s only going to play if she’s perfectly prepared. If she’s just close to being ready, she won’t play. We don’t look at it like she goes there and starts back with competing.

We look at it like maybe it’s a way to start again. Perhaps, it’s a training week where she hits with the girls, she trains hard there, she does much fitness, so we’ll see. It’s not a plan to start competing with Fed Cup.

But if she’s ready, it could be a good setup. It’s only two matches. It’s not a tournament where you play five or six matches so that it could be a good thing.”