Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu apologized to her sponsor Nike for an outburst on the pitch after her choice of wardrobe for Monday’s first-round match got her into trouble in windy conditions.
Andreescu was out in the stands to play Harmony Tan, but the open arena winds blew her skirt up and affected her shots, forcing the 22-year-old to approach the chair umpire and take an extra bathroom break to change apply for.
“Doesn’t that count as one of my substitutions? I mean, it’s not my fault, it’s Nike’s fault,” she told the referee.
“This dress is so, so bad … I have to go (change clothes), this is really bad.”
Andreescu returned wearing a white Nike tank top and skirt to eventually beat Tan 6-0 3-6 6-1.
“It only bothered me on a few forehands. I just felt like it was coming up a bit. Obviously the wind didn’t help,” she told reporters.
“But I didn’t mean disrespect by what I said to the referee. I’ve been trying to convince him not to take that washroom break away because I know we only get two. He was very nice to say it’s totally fine.
“I definitely could have used a different choice of words. So I apologize to everyone I didn’t respect. I love Nike and hope to be with them for the rest of my life!”
Andreescu next meets Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round.
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