Goodbye wild card to send Bouchard into retirement

Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard will finally say goodbye to tennis two years after playing her last match, with the Canadian grabbing a home wild card at the Montreal Masters.

The 31-year-old was once the darling of the sport, with her Wimbledon runner-up spot in 2014 the highlight of what had been expected to be a standout career.

But distractions from social media update. Instagram poses and bikini modelling for Sports Illustrated took her eye off the ball.

Bouchard played her last Grand Slam at Roland Garros five years ago during the pandemic edition and attempted five qualification rounds at the majors through the 2023 US Open.

But dipping her toes into alternative sports such as padel proved to be her catnip, with the French-speaking abandoning her WTA career.

The 2012 junior champion claimed her only Tour title two years later on clay in Germany but slowly abandoned the tennis side of her life over ensuing seasons.

Bouchard competed at the Olympic Games in 2016 as well as in 10

Billie Jean King Cup ties, earning 13 victories at the event including the 2023 title for Canada.

She heads into the final event of her tennis career with a record of 299 wins and 230 losses.

“You’ll know when it’s time. For me, it’s now. Ending where it all started: Montreal,” Bouchard said in her Wednesday retirement announcement.

Main photo:- Did Eugenie Bouchard take her eye off the ball with Swimsuit modelling?