Eugenie Bouchard performs major tennis U-turn after quitting to play rival sport
Eugenie Bouchard opted to quit tennis last year after failing to qualify for the US Open.
Eugenie Bouchard has revealed that she intends to compete in tennis tournaments again just nine months after turning her back on the WTA Tour.
In September 2023, Bouchard made the decision, aged 29, to step away from the world of tennis after failing to qualify for the US Open – being beaten by Dayana Yastremska in qualifying.
She scaled back her playing commitments and turned her attention to pickleball. The racket sport has surged in popularity in America, with two or four players hitting a hollow plastic ball with paddles.
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There are clear similarities between Bouchard's new sport and tennis. It is less physically demanding on the body but equally mentally intensive. Bouchard has impressed since joining the Professional Pickleball Association Tour last September.
Though a return to tennis appears to beckon. She played in an ITF event in Zephyrhills in May but hasn't played on the WTA Tour since last September.
Speaking to The Times, the Canadian revealed that she intends on returning, explaining: “I’m going to put tennis tournaments in where I can fit them in my schedule.
“Tennis is what I love and what I still want to keep doing. The pickleball schedule is the priority but I do want to insert those tennis tournaments.
“I want to achieve whatever I can. I’m not doing a full-time tennis schedule, so, of course, I need to understand that there will be limitations.
“I think I want to do as well as I can in each individual tournament and see where that goes. But I love tennis and it’s not something I want to give up yet at all.”
During Bouchard’s absence from the court, she has slipped down the world rankings and now sits outside the top 500 – though returning to the very top level is not among her immediate priorities as pickleball will remain an important fixture in her calendar for the foreseeable future.
Bouchard is expected to return to the American hard courts next month, though her definitive plans are not yet announced. She admits she's still getting used to pickleball due to the differences between the two sports despite their similarities on the surface.
