Eugenie Bouchard, a former Top 5 WTA player and 2014 Wimbledon finalist, will play pickleball professionally in the 2024 season. The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour announced the news on social media, marking it “one of the biggest signings of the year.”
It is still unclear how this move will affect Bouchard’s tennis career, as she’s yet to comment on the transition. The 29-year-old most recently failed to make the main draw of the US Open, falling in the second round of qualifying. The Canadian’s ranking is now No.215 and the last time she played in the main draw of a Grand Slam was at the 2020 French Open.
The prime time of Bouchard’s career was in 2014, when she won her one and only WTA title, achieved a career-high ranking of No.5 and reached the semifinals or better at three of the four Grand Slams. After those glory days in 2014, Bouchard played the 2015 Australian Open quarterfinals and reached four more WTA finals, but overall her career has since been marked by continued struggles with form, losing streaks, and a series of injuries, including one that needed surgery on her right shoulder.
