'You know when it's time': Eugenie Bouchard announces retirement, set for final chapter at Canadian Open

The former Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard has announced her retirement from professional tennis at 31 years old. Her final appearance will be at the upcoming Canadian Open, to be held in Montreal starting July 27.

Bouchard was once hailed as one of the great talents of her generation, after winning the Wimbledon junior title in 2012 (defeating Elina Svitolina in the final), and doubles titles in the same junior tournament (2011, 2012). Just one year later, at only 19, Bouchard reached her first WTA final at the Osaka Open.

The former World No. 5 had a remarkable breakthrough on Tour after a great junior career. In 2014, at just 20, she reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and Roland Garros, before reaching her first major final at Wimbledon, where she fell to Czech Petra Kvitova.

Great things were expected for a player who also lifted her first title that year – at the Nuremberg Open against Karolina Pliskova – but unfortunately, it turned out to be the only one in Bouchard's career. For years, injuries prevented her from maintaining a regular competitive rhythm, and she never replicated the great results of her historic 2014 season.

Over the last couple of years, the Canadian has balanced her tennis career with padel, making sporadic appearances on the ITF Circuit and WTA, as well as appearances on the Pickleball tour, where she has achieved good results – including a win over World No. 3 Lea Jansen.

This year, the Canadian had played her first professional tournament of the season at the WTA 125 Newport just a week ago, where she fell in the first round of singles to Anna Sinclair Rogers. She also made a doubles appearance with Olivia Lincer, losing in the second round to the pairing of Sinclair/Jones.

However, the surprise came with an Instagram post, in which she briefly announced her retirement at the upcoming WTA 1000 Canadian Open, just a couple of weeks away. Alongside some photos from moments in her career, Bouchard announced her definitive farewell to tennis. "You’ll know when it’s time. For me, it’s now,” she wrote. “Ending where it all started: Montreal ❤️”