Eugenie Bouchard Shares How Tennis Made Her Childhood ‘Tough’: “Sacrifice Was Worth It”

Eugenie Bouchard called time on her tennis career in 2025. She started her pickleball career last year.

Eugenie Bouchard Shares How Tennis Made Her Childhood ‘Tough’: “Sacrifice Was Worth It”

Eugenie Bouchard (Image via X/ESPN Tenis)

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Eugenie Bouchard grew up in Montreal, but at 12, she moved to Florida to pursue her goal of becoming a tennis player. She said that during her childhood, tennis in Canada was not as developed as it is now.

After moving to Florida, she began training with coach Nick Saviano. During The Kitchen Pickleball podcast, Bouchard revealed how juggling school and tennis made her childhood tough. Because of tennis, she often missed school.

Definitely felt like I had to go to their training at the academies, the coach. It’s kind of the mecca for tennis, I would say, in the US, besides maybe California. I love Canada. Canada was great, but tennis at the time was really not what it is now in Canada.

Eugenie Bouchard said

Bouchard turned pro in 2009 and called time on her career this year. She lifted just one title in her singles career.

I’m like traveling on the road with my science book, and after playing tennis for six hours that day, I’m trying to do my assignments, and I give them in late, and I take tests late. And so it was definitely tough handling both school and tennis, especially in the later years when tennis got more important, and school got harder. So, um, tough childhood, but you know, sacrifice ended up being worth it.

Eugenie Bouchard added

Bouchard reached a career-high No.5 ranking back in 2014 on the back of her runner-up finish at Wimbledon the same year. In 2014, she also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open.

Eugenie Bouchard recalls how her family made things work to fulfil her tennis dream

During that aforementioned The Kitchen Pickleball podcast, Eugenie Bouchard said leaving her home was tough. She also recalled how her family worked hard to ensure she fulfilled her tennis dream.

Eugenie Bouchard (2)
Eugenie Bouchard (Image via X/We Are Tennis)

It was tough. It was, you know, away from home. My mom came down with me at first, and then she would go back and forth to be with the other kids, and my grandma would come down. It was just kind of like trying to make it work.

Eugenie Bouchard said

In that aforementioned Wimbledon final, she lost to Petra Kvitova. Since 2014, she has only made one deep run at a Grand Slam at the Australian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals.

When she made the Wimbledon final, she became the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam final. Back in 2012, she won the 2012 Wimbledon girls’ title as a junior, and she was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year at the end of the 2013 season.

Then, for the 2014 season, Bouchard won the WTA Most Improved Player award. She was also the first player from Canada to become a top 5 player.

The last time she played in a Grand Slam tournament was at the 2020 French Open, where she made the third round. The following season, she failed to secure a berth in the main draw of the Australian Open.

In 2023, as well, Bouchard tried to reach the main draw events of three Majors but failed in her attempts. Bouchard never won a WTA 1000 title, but she made it to the final of the 2014 Wuhan Open, where once again she suffered defeats at the hands of Kvitova.

In 2017 and 2018, she was ranked No.10 and No.9 in Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes list. Prior to hanging up her tennis racket, Bouchard started her pickleball career in 2024. She is ranked No.10 in the women’s singles on the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour.

Also read: Junior Tennis Player Shares Anecdote About Novak Djokovic’s ‘Aura’: “There Was Absolute Silence”