Eugenie Bouchard performs major tennis U-turn after quitting to play rival sport
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.
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.
