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'If when you’re not Serena, Roger, Djokovic or Nadal, nothing is guaranteed,' Eugenie Bouchard hits back at critics as she thinks she isn’t recognised enough for her tennis accolades

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Gerard Crispin | Last updated 5/9/24

Tennis is an extremely demanding sport, one in which many talented young players go on to win nothing major before eventually leaving the circuit. Such is the story of Eugenie Bouchard, who was hailed as the greatest asset in 2014 but now plays pickleball. However, she claims that only a privileged few had certainty about their careers.

The Canadian star has been criticized for underachieving despite her immense talent. At 20, she reached the finals of Wimbledon in 2014 and the semifinals of the Roland Garros and Australian Open . She even went on to win the now-defunct Nuremberg Cup, beating Czech Karolina Pliskova, that same year.

She climbed to No.5 in 2014 but that only lasted for a few weeks. Injuries became Bouchard’s nightmare, she played in fewer tournaments in 2015 than her previous two years. Now, she has switched to pickleball despite not yet retiring from tennis. She is No.522 in the WTA rankings.

Recounting her early years in tennis in a recent episode of the podcast ‘The Mental Game by Brandon Saho’, the 30-year-old emphasized the mental strength of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Novak Djokovic which helped them achieve more than others.

Even achieving something like what I did is obviously great in sport, but I was made fun of. I felt bad because I reached the rank of 5th in the world and quickly went down. I just felt so much pressure and expectations from the outside world. It's as if when you're not Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal, nothing is guaranteed, nothing is acquired. Eugenie Bouchard said

Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Williams won 89 Grand Slams in total. Federer with 20, Nadal with 22, Djokovic with 24 and Serena Williams with 23. They remain the greatest players the sport has ever produced.

Eugenie Bouchard to make U-turn to tennis after switching to pickleball last year

Recently, Eugenie Bouchard looks to be making a U-turn to her first love (tennis) as she released a TikTok video where she looked to be training hard for the Zephyrhills W75 tournament. The 30-year-old has participated in two pickleball tournaments this year after tennis failed to work out for her.

She last played in a major event in Wimbledon qualifying rounds in 2023 losing to Greet Minnen. The Canadian was nowhere close to her best back then.

Her most significant achievement in tennis to date was helping her country win the Billie Jean King Cup last year. It is worth noting that she was ranked lower than No.200 in the WTA then.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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