Fallen Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has opened up about her sporting decline while admitting she was also considering retiring. But the 29-year-old doesn’t want to give up the racket just yet.
In 2013, one of the most notable rises in recent tennis history began. After excellent results in the junior division, the then 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard started her way to the top of the world. When she first stormed to the semi-finals of the Australian and French Opens in 2014 and then reached the final of Wimbledon, many already saw her as the upcoming superstar in tennis heaven.
In the years that followed, however, the bitter crash followed. Set back by numerous injuries, Bouchard rattled from fifth in the world rankings to 330. In addition to her physical problems, many blamed her off-pitch activities. The Canadian became a social media star who turned heads with her salacious photos and appearances on the world’s red carpets.
Tennis star thought about resigning
Because Bouchard was much more successful off the pitch than on the pitch with her activities for many years, her retirement from active competitive sports seemed only a matter of time. And as she explained on the sidelines of the tournament in Portugal, she was really close to retiring.
“It was a very difficult time, that’s no secret. I would be lying if I said that it (resignation) didn’t go through my head. It was a very long process,” said the Canadian. In the end, however, she decided that it would be worthwhile to continue. “I would have regretted it if an injury had stopped me,” said Bouchard.
Bouchard believes in victories: “Otherwise I would already have babies”
In the meantime, she sees herself “of course” fighting for victories again. “If I didn’t believe in that, I wouldn’t have put in all the work and time. It’s hard to come back from all the injuries. It takes a lot of patience, a lot of time and a lot of energy. At the same time, life is short. I’m doing it because I still think I can. If not, I’d have babies by now or something,” she joked.
As much as Bouchard believes in her comeback to the top of the world, it is a long way to get there. The 29-year-old is currently ranked 298th in the world. She tries to catch up again through smaller tournaments like in Portugal. However, they are still far behind the best. The Canadian was last in the main draw at a Grand Slam tournament in 2020. Since then she failed – if she took part at all – always in the qualification.
