Eugenie Bouchard retires after losing second set in Zephyrhills Quarter-Final on return

Eugenie Bouchard is seemingly not yet fully ready and seemingly struggled with the conditions today at the ITF W75 tournament at Zephyrhills losing out to Kayla Day in a third set retirement in the Quarter-Finals.

The former Wimbledon final had won two matches prior this week and according to those watching her matches showed good signs. But she served for the match in the second set to reach the semi-finals potentially.

The American who is 96th in the world though fought back and after the second set, a medical time-out was called and Bouchard retired with social media users quipping that it may have been due to the heat in Florida. Albeit a tad puzzling given that she lives nearby, but still a shame for Bouchard on her return.

What her future plan is remains unknown with Bouchard playing her first tournament in this instance since last November. That was at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and given her ranking, it is presumably not for an attempt at Roland Garros qualifying. So more likely a gauge to see where she is at a tournament nearby.

She left the sport behind as such going over to pickleball albeit with the caveat that she wasn't stopping playing tennis. But she has struggled at times in the fledgling sport and won her first match only last month. Whether this heralds a more permanent return remains to be seen, but at least today Bouchard came close but couldn't find a way through in Zephyrhills.