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Watch: Eugenie Bouchard to make a shocking return to tennis after 2 years? Here’s what we know

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Nikhil Sonmali | Last updated 5/5/24

WTA star Eugenie Bouchard has been playing pickleball for the past six months, despite not announcing her retirement from tennis. However, she looks to be making a U-turn to her first love (tennis) as she released a video where she trains hard for the Zephyrhills W75 tournament.

Despite being away from tennis for the past two years, Bouchard has always been a tennis fan. She featured at the Netflix Tennis Slam exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. The 30-year-old significant rise in tennis was in 2014 when she reached the finals of Wimbledon. She then went on to reach the semifinals of the Roland Garros and Australian Open the same year.

However, things didn’t work out the way the tennis community anticipated. Several injuries tumbled her career, as she had to miss many tournaments. In 2023, she had dropped to No.215 in the WTA ranking from No.5 in 2015. Her significant effort was when she helped Canada win the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023.

Pickleball, experiencing a surge in North America, influenced the Canadian star’s decision to join the sport. Though she was heavily criticized for leaving tennis, the 30-year-old couldn’t care less about the criticism as it increased her popularity on social media. Having featured in a few pickleball tournaments, she is yet to win any silverware.

However, she will be making her comeback to tennis soon. She made this known in a live training on TikTok.

@geniebouchard prepping for next week Zephyrhills W75 tournament, her first tourney of the year. Let’s go . ( Genie’s TikTok) pic.twitter.com/vFtSEjRiJO
— gritch (@Gritchtennis) May 3, 2024

The tournament which is based in Miami would not be a big deal for Bouchard, as she also lives in the city. But, reaching the last eight or sixteen of the tournament will be a big bonus and might influence her decision for a full comeback.

Eugenie Bouchard enjoying pickleball despite not winning any silverware

Eugenie Bouchard has yet to feature in tennis this season. The Canadian chose pickleball over tennis, as she believes it favors her more after an injury-prone career in tennis. Nevertheless, she is yet to announce her retirement from tennis, leaving the door open for the former World No.5.

In her debut in pickleball, Bouchard participated in the singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles at the PPA Tour Hyundai Masters in Palm Springs. She didn’t go past the first day as she exited the tournament.

However, she was happy with the experience and went on to feature in another tournament. Despite the same outcome, she remains a big fan of the sport.

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

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