“This is an exploratory year to see how I love either one,” Bouchard embraces pickleball, tennis future in limbo
WTAFriday, 05 July 2024 at 01:30
Eugenie
Bouchard spoke about her future in tennis after missing Wimbledon. In 2023, the
Canadian returned to the All England Club for the first time since 2019 but
couldn't get past the first round of the qualifiers. This year, she didn't even
enter the qualifiers and is currently ranked world No. 524.
The
30-year-old tennis player only played one professional event this year, an ITF
tournament in the USA in May, where she reached the quarterfinals after winning
two consecutive matches. However, she withdrew while facing Kayla Day and
hasn't appeared in any professional tournaments since.
From tennis courts to pickleball
The
former Wimbledon runner-up suffered a shoulder injury in 2021 that kept her
away from the sport for 17 months. Since then, she has shown increased interest
in the rapid growth of pickleball and joined the Professional Pickleball
Association Tour in September 2023.
In
a YouTube interview with Valeria Lipovetsky, she responded about her tennis
aspirations: "That’s a very good question. I would say that changed this
year because I have to invest some of my time playing the pickleball events as
well,” Bouchard said. “So training in the gym for both, I would say, is similar
but obviously on the court it’s different.
"So
if I’m starting to give some time to pickle, it’s taking time away from tennis.
I would say this is an exploratory year to see how I love either one, how I
love both, how I’m able to manage doing both.”
“I
don’t know. I think it’s more of an experimental year and we’ll see how it
goes,” she added. “This is brand-new for me so I don’t know for sure yet is my
answer. I totally shifted this year and it’s only been three months, four
months. I have no idea yet, I’m testing it out, we’ll see.”
“[The
injury] made me do more off-court stuff,” Bouchard said. “I went to do some
commentating for the Tennis Channel, found out I really loved that and was told
I was good at it so that’s something I would love to continue exploring. That’s
something I can do after tennis.”
Read also
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- "This of course a stark change to Rybakina who is obviously more timid..." That just may be the dumbest thing ever written about Lena. For a CCO, Mr. Gill seems to have either made an error in judgement -- or needed filler for this article -- to say something so ridiculous.
mandoist13-09-2026 - “The way I like to put it – no disrespect to anybody – is that this is her house, and all the other girls are just guests, and it’s time for them to go home” Well now... seems John Stacy has made a complete ass of himself. Doubt he'll be receiving any invitations to Lena's "house" any time soon.mandoist13-09-2026
- I am sorry, but Sabalenka has NO EXCUSE for her despicable behaviour. She lacks self and mouth control! The message is being sent but Saba isn't getting it! She is full of arrogance and pride. Hopefully, after this defeat she will be on the way to becoming a humble lady LIKE ELENA! I hope she never regains the world No. 1 until she develops some humility.Rapunzel13-09-2026
- Sabalenka began showing signs of her game gradually 'changing' since last season. I predicted her fascination with posting endless Selfies, participating in commercial media distractions and constant Social Media nonsense could impact her in a negative way. Her off-court Life was sure to interfere with her performace level. Visions of Raducanu, Giorgi, Bouchard come to mind. The Final yesterday was a weird case of polar-opposites. Sabalenka and Rybakina could not be any more different in personalities! Saba often portrays a somewhat fake persona, including her Phony Screaming. Her usual habit of acting like the nice girl with a sense of humor is a misconception. People take her lack of intellect as "cute" and "funny". So anyway... yesterday viewers witnessed that Fake Scream be reduced to a whimper and sometimes no vocal gymnastics at all once she knew the jig was up. We all saw her look into the camera post-match and say "F... You". Also, pretty hard to not see Saba making untoward facial expressions, rolling her eyes, etc., behind Rybakina while on the podium. Elena Rybakina, on the other hand, was her usual 'in-control' self as she spoke clearly and calmly, without making faces nor any ill-will toward anyone = 100% Class Act. Lena appeared more than aware of Saba's sour attitude and made a point of not looking in her direction most of the time. FWIW: I have never -- not ever -- heard Sabalenka make any sounds on practice courts. So it is indeed a nonsensical ruse as she thinks (incorrectly) it affects opponents. It does not. In fact, as was the case yesterday, I saw Lena occasionally take a side-eye glance at Saba on her way to the bench... as if to calculate her emotions. Saba is actually a very easy 'read'.mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA really, really hates this sort of thing. They surely are satisfied to make believe no such thing happens (or happened).mandoist13-09-2026
- WTA and ATP cannot even make their dope testing equal and precise across the board. They sure as hell cannot escape a stituation they themselves made over the ridiculous "penalty" of omitting a player's country flag. Nothing regarding which flags to display (or not) should be a Thing. It proves nothing; solves nothing. If anything, all it did was cause stress, tension, and even outbursts between players in the WTA locker room. Let's not even start with the asinine practice of not shaking hands at the net with "the enemy". There seems to be a general lack of intelligence behind Pro Tennis administrations' Closed Doors. .mandoist13-09-2026
- Big Babe Tennis! Hoping for a good final.DaveyWavey12-09-2026
- Director needs to return to his old "job" at the Australia Open. He's clueless in NYC.mandoist12-09-2026
- You keep writing ridiculous crap... why are you even watching tennis?mandoist12-09-2026
- They probably have a very good reason for this. I do not get it. Annoying that it finishes so late
AceOfBase12-09-2026
Loading
