The 31-year-old from Westmount, Que. Eugenie Bouchard started playing tennis at the age of five at Tennis Canada’s National Training Centre in Montreal. She made her professional debut in 2009, but it took her almost five years to burst onto the scene. In 2014, after making it to the semifinals of the AO and the French Open, Bouchard reached the finals at Wimbledon. With that, she became the first Canadian-born player representing Canada to reach the final of a major singles tournament, but her dream run was cut short by the Czech, Petra Kvitova. She defeated Bouchard by 6-3,6-0.

But following that defeat, the Canadian said, “I hope I can walk out to many more finals. That’s the goal.” Did she achieve her goals? Well, unfortunately, Eugenie Bouchard never reached the finals of a major tournament in her career after that, and throughout these 16 years of her professional career, the former world number 5 had won just one title (2014 Nuremberg Cup). Earlier this year, Eugenie Bouchard decided to retire from the sport. She claimed that she had no regrets about her relentless pursuit of success, but the wear and tear of the sport has led her to a new chapter beyond tennis.

Hence, she made up her mind to hang up her racket by playing her last match at the Omnium Banque Nationale présenté par Rogers, as one of the most decorated Canadian tennis players (led them to BJK Cup triumph in 2023). Talking about her retirement, Bouchard had previously claimed, “I want to soak up every moment of love and tennis and the hard stuff on the court, the amazing stuff off the court. I want to make it like a celebration, not a funeral, and see everybody.” Everyone perhaps expected her campaign at the Canadian Open to end at the hands of Emiliana Arango in the first round. But she delayed her retirement with an impressive three-set triumph over the Colombian. Following that match, Bouchard said, “I told my family that if I won the tournament, I would come out of retirement.“

She stated that she felt like the “old Genie” out there, but sadly for Eugenie Bouchard and all her fans, her incredible run in Montreal came to an end in the very next match. Belinda Bencic brought an end to her incredible journey with a 6-2,3-6,6-4 win in the R64. Eugenie Bouchard broke down in tears while addressing her family and fans in her post-match interview. She said, “Tennis has given me so much. I am filled with so much gratitude for this sport and the people who helped me along the way. I want to thank my mom, dad, sisters, & brother for their sacrifice and support. I want you to know that when this crowd cheers for me, they’re cheering for you, too. I wouldn’t be here without you.”

Following that, she also thanked her coaches, physios, trainers, and everyone else with whom she had the chance to work with in her career. Bouchard ended her career with a win-loss record of 299-230. Other than her on-court heroics, she also made it to the top 10 of Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes list in 2017 and 2018. What a player! What a journey! How did the tennis world react to Eugenie Bouchard’s retirement, though?

American tennis stars share heartfelt messages to Eugenie Bouchard

Eugenie Bouchard has been largely inactive for the last two years, and she has featured only in a handful of tournaments in 2024 and 2025. However, having said that, there should be no denial of her contributions to Canadian tennis. The National Bank Open tournament director, Valérie Tétreault, said, “She has been one of the most important figures in the history of our sport in Canada and a trailblazer who redefined what Canadian tennis could be.” He stated that everyone is proud of everything that Bouchard has done as a player and as a role model.

Talking about being a role model for youngsters, the 18-year-old Canadian, Victoria Mboko, who recently made the headlines by defeating the former Grand Slam champion, Sofia Kenin, in the R64 of the Canadian Open, also shared a few thoughts on Bouchard. In a previous interview, Mboko said, “She was quite a big role model when she made the finals of Wimbledon, that was a really amazing thing — first Canadian woman to do something like that. She kind of paved the way a little bit and kind of put Canada on the map in women’s tennis.”

She feels Eugenie Bouchard is too young to retire. Even Jessica Pegula, who is also the same age as Bouchard, spoke about her camaraderie with the Canadian and how much she loved playing with her in the doubles, especially. “I mean I feel like she really put Canadian tennis on the map a little bit,” said Pegula.

Madison Keys and Coco Gauff shared a heartfelt message for Eugenie Bouchard. Keys revealed that she grew up with Bouchard, playing the juniors together. “I think Genie is just herself, and I think it comes across. Everything she says and does feels authentic. People have always gravitated towards that. We like to see authentic people in the spotlight. Sometimes everything is too scripted, and I feel like she never fell into that,” said Keys. 

Coco Gauff said that she was not aware of her retirement till about a few days before the Canadian Open. She wished her all the best in her next chapter. But what’s going to be her next chapter, though? Pickleball? Well, Bouchard has already been involved with the Professional Pickleball Association, and she was also seen partnering with Andy Roddick to play against Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in a thrilling contest. Can she find similar success in her pickleball career as well?