Eugenie Bouchard already has her own signature pickleball paddle. It is n ° 17 in the classification of pickleball and appears constantly on the main courtyard during events because it is always a big draw.
Just to be absolutely clear, however, it is not tennis retiree. The Wimbledon 2014 finalist still trains in the tennis court, is still in competition during tennis events and still has a classification of the women’s tennis association (currently n ° 1,288).
The Canadian star just has a new sport that drew her attention. Bouchard is one of the many names of familiar tennis – like Jack Sock and Donald Young – crossing the Pro Pickleball scene in another chapter of their careers.
The change of change of one year of Bouchard was filled with lumps and losses in a very public setting when she learns the ins and outs – the shots are a good thing – of a game that combines elements tennis, badminton and table tennis.
“I am on the central field,” said Bouchard before ” Pickleball Slam 3», Where she will team up with Andy Roddick on Sunday to face Andre Agassi And Steffi Graf in a series of matches played in Las Vegas and broadcast on ESPN. “Not because of my level of competence in pickleball, but because of what I have achieved in tennis and what I bring tennis in the world of pickleball.
“I did not like at the beginning because I lost and I felt uncomfortable and clumsy on the pickleball field. It was like, “put me in the last court, so nobody sees the wreckage of the train which is about to occur.” But I slowly found my foot. “”
Bouchard, who is 31 years old on February 25, was approached for the first time by the professional tour of the counter-ticket association 2023 while to the US Open.
The land in Bouchard: help cultivate pickleball. Bouchard had played sport with friends, but that was almost everything.
“After taking off, I said to myself,” she can make a difference in pickleball. It can really help us bring us to another level with regard to the eyeballs ”, explained Connor Pardoe, founder and CEO of the Carvana PPA tour. “When we understood that it was something that Genie considered that she could make a difference and something that she really wanted to continue and that she wanted to give a complete effort, for us, it was obvious. »»
Bouchard signed a three -year agreement – the conditions were not disclosed – which included provisions so that it could compete in tennis events.
She played a role in the popularity of the PPA tour, which merged with Major League Pickleball in February 2024. The circuits saw more than 320,000 fans attend the PPA tour and MLP events last year.
Bouchard is still looking for his first victory on the tour. But she maintains her sense of humor – and her style.
Example: after its release last weekend in Tucson, Arizona, Bouchard, who played in a new yellow top and a green pattern skirt, written on social networks: “I may not have won the tournament but at least I had the cutest outfit.”
Her goals remain modest for pickleball, where she is 18-19 years old in single, 8-18 in double and 8-19 in mixed double (she twinned with a mixed double sock last weekend).
“The success goes to a tournament and leaves with at least one victory,” said Bouchard, whose Pickleball Versix Pink versix paddle is designed to enjoy his tennis background. “For the first two tournaments, I would play in simple, double and mixed double and I would be 0-3. There is just something to really defeat about flying towards a city and being on this plane backwards that did not even win a match. You say to yourself: “What am I doing here?” Fortunately, I started to get victories.
Tennis remains on the photo of Bouchard, which collapsed on the professional scene in adolescence and went to n ° 5 in 2014. It was a season when it made the Wimbledon final, losing 6-3 , 6-0 against Petra Kvitova.
Bouchard won $ 6.9 million at a prize during a tennis career which included many protruding facts (a semi-finalist at the 2014 Australian Open and the French Open, representing Canada to Canada Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games) as well as difficult moments (shoulder surgery, settling in 2016 With the United States Tennis Association in a trial for responsibility).
“I wouldn’t say exhausted,” said Bouchard when she asked her why she decided to incorporate pickleball into her tennis career. “I was just excited by a new opportunity.”
This Sunday is also an opportunity – a chance to team up with Roddick in a featured pickleball match against Agassi and Graf, who are two of his tennis idols.
“I don’t even know how I was invited,” said Bouchard. “It’s pretty crazy that I am on the ground with these three legends.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
