Genie Bouchard reached Wimbledon final, dated a fan and was more marketable than Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt and Jordan Spieth
Ten years ago, the Canadian was a Wimbledon finalist and seemingly a future Grand Slam champion, who business media company SportsPro placed above Olympic legend Usain Bolt, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo then still regarded as the best around, NBA star Steph Curry and golfer Jordan Spieth for marketability.
The 30-year-old was a highly rated junior who burst onto the scene as a teenager, winning the junior Wimbledon in 2012.
The following year proved to be a breakthrough time for Bouchard as she won WTA newcomer of the year, with highlights, including beating former world number one Ana Ivanovic on Centre Court at the All England Club.
It was in 2014 when it seemed as though she had the world at her feet, reaching back-to-back semi-finals at the Australian and French Opens.
Bouchard then went one better at Wimbledon to reach the final, only to lose out to Petra Kvitova. Tennis, it seemed, was providing more than just a path to athletic greatness.
“Tennis, first of all, is a great sport for that sex appeal side,” Bouchard told YouTuber Valeria Lipovetsky in a wide-ranging interview that touched on public scrutiny and the evolution of the women’s game.
“We’re wearing short skirts, we’re wearing tank tops. It’s fun to turn on the TV and watch that. Right away I was able to get great marketing deals off the court. Being asked to be in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition a few times.
“Exploring that path was definitely on my to-do list. It’s definitely part of who I am because I think it’s great.”
The off-court deals have helped her become more than just a fantastic athlete. “Tennis is the only thing I know, but it can’t be the only thing I’ll ever do in my life,” she continued. “So I found it very interesting to be in the magazines or do fashion stuff and see that I really enjoyed these things as well.”
