The game that broke Eugenie Bouchard: why she hasn't rewatched the Wimbledon final

Eugenie Bouchard has admitted that she still hasn't rewatched the Wimbledon final which saw her get defeated by Petra Kvitova at SW19 in her breakout career moment.

Bouchard who ascended into sporting stardom and propelled herself into the higher reaches of the game also failed to sustain the push after that moment. But behind that loss of form was heartbreak and mental health struggles due to the pain of losing what in reality should've been a euphoric moment in her life and career.

Read also

Prize Money WTA China Open 2024 with $8,955,610 on offer

"I still, to this day, have not rewatched the finals, because I just can't. It's like, too painful for me. I got killed, which maybe is a blessing in disguise, because you know when you come so close to winning a match, and then you lose it, and you're replaying over and over in your head what you could have done better on a break point or a match point... Like I said in the moment, it felt normal, like I was just putting my head down and working hard and playing well and just continuing this ride of confidence," she said on the Tennis Insider Podcast.

"I was so happy, and I wouldn't really say surprised. It's more like I believed in myself, or I've been working towards this every single day for years and years and years. So it's kind of happy, but I always knew I could do well and it was more of a relief for all the hard work and trusting yourself, because I believed I could do it.

"And then, I showed myself I could do it, so you kind of trust yourself and obviously looking back, I'm like, 'wow, I did this crazy thing', but in the moment I was in my little bubble for this match."

But also she opened up about how in reality the match saw a change in psyche going from an ice-cold approach to sweat inducing nerves.

"It's interesting, I never felt nervous before any of the matches in that tournament specifically, except for the final.

"I remember sitting in the locker room and feeling my hands sweat and like my hands like, never sweat. And so it was like a physical reaction that showed me, 'wow, my brain is making me think about this differently'. So I was definitely very nervous for the final."

Read also

Eugenie Bouchard hits back at criticism surrounding 'money can't buy' Jessica Pegula dig