"But I just didn’t want to let go of tennis": Eugenie Bouchard reveals reason behind returning to tennis after short Pickleball stint

Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard has explained why she is taking a U-turn regarding playing tennis again. Last year, the 30-year-old became the highest-profile active tennis player who announced publicly that she would be playing Pickleball more in the future after failing to cement her spot in the US Open.

However, recently, Bouchard announced that she is now more keen on playing the WTA events once again. The former world number five was recently quoted in a report where she explained the reason behind her U-turn. She was of the opinion that focusing more on Pickleball at the start of the year, which is the newest format of the sport, was because she was trying to adjust, but that does not mean that she is willing to stop playing professional tennis completely.

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“At the beginning of the year I focused more on pickle just because it was the new thing and I wanted to improve, because I was not great,” she said. “But I just didn’t want to let go of tennis completely for sure, so I’ve played a few tournaments this year. It’s obviously tough - if I’m not playing full-time on the tour, it’s hard to have goals and expectations. I just really enjoy playing and I want to just keep that option there. I just love it so much.”

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During her time off the court, Bouchard stayed connected with tennis as she appeared on Tennis Channel as a pundit. The Montreal-born star was once regarded as one of the most promising players in women’s tennis. She had an incredible 12 months in 2014, where she played in the final of a Grand Slam and also appeared in the semifinal of two other major events. However, since then, not much has gone right for her as she has only managed to play in the quarterfinal or beyond of a Grand Slam once in 26 attempts. Last year, she failed to qualify for the main draw of any Grand Slam despite appearing in the qualifying round of three major events.