Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard embroiled in pickleball row after snubbing handshake post loss

Tuesday, 13 October 2026 at 18:30

Eugenie Bouchard may be seen more often nowadays behind the booth covering tennis at Wimbledon for the BBC and for other majors, including the French Open and US Open, for select broadcasters; she hasn't lost her competitive edge.

She has since switched to pickleball in the past few years, playing the sport as a professional since retiring from tennis. She ended her competitive career at the 2025 Canadian Open, albeit remains in the notion of being competitive due to this side of sport.

She snubbed her opponent Maria Ford after their latest match on the PPA Tour (Professional Pickleball Association). She played at the Veolia Chicago Cup.

After losing her first rounds in the women's doubles and mixed doubles events, the Canadian faced Ford in the second round of the singles contest. Ford won 6-11, 11-5 and 11-5, and drama then erupted as Bouchard refused the handshake or paddle tap at the net, possibly in response to Ford's screams during the match.

HOOK by Maria Ford?? Followed up with no paddle tap by Genie Bouchard 👀 https://t.co/S1rHbfE9fM
— pickleball.com (@pickleball_com) October 8, 2026

Screams draw attention

Ford appeared to scream on each point which drew attention during the match. It was also noticed that Bouchard's shot was incorrectly called out while she was trailing 9-5 in the final set.

"It’s fun. It’s less hard on the body; it’s less pressure-filled mentally as well. Coming from tennis, for me it’s just like light, fun, and easygoing. It’s been a refreshing change," Bouchard said after previously switching to the sport.

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"All athletes have drive, and I think that’s why you see some of them get into trouble because they don’t have anything to focus all that drive and energy towards, and they’re like, 'Let me go spend all my money' or 'Let me go gamble,'" she added. "I would never not want to do something for the rest of my life."

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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