The 2014 Wimbledon finalist, Eugenie Bouchard, will kick off her 2021 season at the Lyon Open. Bouchard had failed to qualify for the 2021 Australian Open, it was the second straight year she didn’t get entry into the main draw at Melbourne Park.

As the tournament organizers unveiled the names of the three wildcard entries on Wednesday, Bouchard received one of them. Subsequently, the Canadian uploaded a short video of her Twitter account to announce her participation at the Lyon Open.

Eugenie Bouchard to begin her 2021 season

In the video, Bouchard expressed her gratitude towards the tournament for giving her a wildcard and mentioned she loves playing in France.

“Hello everyone, I am coming to Lyon. I thank the tournament for the wildcard. I am really exited to play in France and I love playing there. And see you soon,” said Bouchard in French.

Last year, the inaugural edition of the Lyon Open took place and the 2020 Australian Open champion, Sofia Kenin, won the tournament. The week-long WTA 250 event will begin from 1st March this year.

Some of the top players, including Cori Gauff, Kristina Mladenovic, Marta Kostyuk, and Camila Giorgi will headline the second edition of the tournament. For Bouchard, she will compete for the first time in almost five months, with her last tournament being the 2020 French Open.

During last season, Bouchard’s best performance came at the Istanbul Open, where she ended as the runner-up. Despite showing promising results at the start of her career, the former World No.5 has won no title since winning her maiden WTA trophy at the 2014 Nuremberg Cup.

Recently, Bouchard officially confirmed her relationship with National Football League (NFL) player Mason Rudolph. The 26-year-old celebrated Valentine’s Day with the NFL star and posted an adorable couple picture on her Instagram profile.