Eugenie Bouchard, the previous World No.5 and 2014 Wimbledon finalist has discovered a brand new love — the fast-growing sport of pickleball.
Bouchard, now 30, is ranked 565th on the planet as a result of she is focussing extra on pickleball.
“I used to be like, , ‘I’d like to problem myself to strive one thing new.’ And in addition to be part of one thing that’s so trending and rising a lot, that was actually interesting to me. It was additionally one thing I might do whereas nonetheless enjoying some tennis tournaments. In order that’s why I used to be like, ‘Yeah, signal me up,’” she informed tennis.com
Bouchard competes within the Professional Tour of Pickleball and has performed simply 4 pro-level tennis matches in 2024, in keeping with tennis.com.
Bouchard, nonetheless, stated that she was simply studying the ropes.
“I nonetheless have an extended strategy to go however a minimum of I really feel like I belong slightly extra,” Bouchard added.
Final month Bouchard reached her first skilled pickleball semifinal on the Price Championships in Las Vegas.
Bouchard isn’t the one former high tennis participant switching to pickleball.
Sam Querrey, the previous World No.11 with 10 ATP singles titles, is now a pickleball participant and so is his fellow American Jack Sock.
Querrey stated that making the transition isn’t as simple as some tennis professionals really feel it’s.
“It’s the nuances and the positioning, the altering of course,” Querrey informed ppatour.com. “It’s so many little issues. On the highest degree, it’s so much more durable than it appears to be like.”
