Is Eugenie Bouchard walking away from tennis dream to play a rival sport?

Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard has been struggling to make her way back to the top of tennis after a series of injuries derailed her career and now she appears to have given up on her dream of a comeback.
Bouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2014, was tipped to be one of the biggest stars in the women’s game as she became a huge success on and off the court.
She was also a semi-finalist at the Australian Open and French Open that year, as well as reaching the fourth round at the US Open in 2014 and 2015, sparking a huge interest in the Canadian star.
Her marketing potential ensured she collected a host of major sponsors in the opening years of her career, but she has struggled to stay fit in recent years.
Junior Wimbledon champion in 2012, Bouchard has failed to make a mark in tennis after her ranking slipped and now she has confirmed she will join the increasingly popular pickleball world tour next year.
The announcement was made on the official IBE Pickleball website, with Bouchard their biggest signing so far:
“With one of the biggest signings of the year ✍️ Genie Bouchard, professional tennis star with a WTA No 5 career high in singles, joins the PPA Tour in 2024!”
At the age of 29, Bouchard’s move will be a blow to tennis, even though she has failed to shine on the WTA Tour in recent months.
She missed out in qualifying for this year’s US Open and has failed to come through qualifying in most of the events she has played this year.
Despite her lack of success on the court, she continues to have a huge social media following and has over 2.4m followers on Instagram.
While the statement confirming her move to pickleball suggested she would be playing full-time, Bouchard has yet to confirm whether she will also continue to play tennis next year.
Bouchard has yet to make any comment on the sporting switch, but she did post the pickleball announcement on her social media feed when the deal was announced.
WHAT IS PICKLEBALL?
* A pickleball court is the same size as a doubles badminton court and measures 20×44 feet.
* In pickleball, the same court is used for both singles and doubles play.
* The net height is 36 inches at the sidelines and 34 inches in the middle. The court is striped similar to a tennis court with right and left service courts and a 7-foot non-volley zone in front of the net (referred to as the “kitchen”).
* Courts can be constructed specifically for pickleball or they can be converted using existing tennis or badminton courts.
* While it resembles tennis and table tennis, the hard plastic ball used in pickleball produces less bounce than tennis balls.
READ MORE: WATCH: Coco Gauff wins spectacular 40-shot US Open rally at crucial moment
Latest
-
ATP Tour
The 20 countries with the most ATP titles in 2023: Novak Djokovic’s Serbia 1st, United States 5th
A look at the different countries to win ATP Tour singles titles in 2023.
-
Tennis News
Huge slide for fallen world No 1 in UTR rankings as Iga Swiatek leads the way
The final UTR rankings for 2023 show Poland’s Swiatek as the outstanding No 1.
-
WTA Tour
Emma Raducanu could face a huge name in her first match back on the WTA Tour
Emma Raducanu is preparing to make her comeback and the the entry list has been released for her return in Aukland.
-
Tennis News
Nick Kyrgios reveals Ben Shelton dream – ‘Serve is a rocket, reminds me of…’
“I had a dream last night that Shelton…”
-
French Open
‘If Rafael Nadal wins Roland Garros, that’s superhuman,’ says former player
“It’s colossal to be ready to make these efforts when we have won as much as he has,” according to Santoro.
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal’s expected outfits for Brisbane and Australian Open revealed – One kit is very bright
What colours will Rafael Nadal wear at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open?
-
WTA Tour
Iga Swiatek makes Aryna Sabalenka admission after their intense battle for year-end No 1 ranking
“She deserved it,” said Swiatek of Sabalenka.
-
Tennis News
ATP chief warns against ‘civil war’ in tennis amid radical breakaway tour rumours
Rumours of a breakaway tennis tour have been circulating in recent months.
-
Tennis News
Nick Kyrgios joins Only Fans and promises to reveal ‘intimate side’ of his life
Kyrgios will not be displaying the most private parts of his relationship with his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal makes candid confession as he addresses whether 2024 will be his final season
Rafael Nadal has spoken openly about how much longer he is likely to keep playing.