Eugenie Bouchard knows how to keep her rivalry alive, even when she is not facing that person on the tennis court. However, digging out the rivalry after so many years may have landed her in hot water. Most recently, a comment she made about competing against ‘dopers’ sparked a bitter feud between her and the fans of Maria Sharapova that had been dormant for over six long years. After taking a lot of heat, she has now found a way to get out of the controversy by issuing an apology. She mentioned how she made a mistake by making the controversial remark aimed at Dayana Yastremska and Maria Sharapova at the Madrid Open this year.

Bouchard was one of the few players who heavily criticized Sharapova after her 15-month ban in 2016 after failing a drug test in that year’s Australian Open. The 5-time Grand Slam champion was found guilty of using meldonium. Following her return to tennis, Sharapova received a wildcard entry to the Madrid Open in 2017. Her opponent was none other than Genie Bouchard. It’s safe to say the Canadian star was less than pleased about her wildcard entry and made some strong comments.

Eugenie Bouchard issues an apology for her cryptic statement 

The 29-year-old Canadian beauty is playing in the Madrid Open. After entering the main draw, she faced Dayana Yastremska in the first round. However, after defeating the 22-year-old tennis player, the world number 5 took to Twitter to share a cryptic post about playing against the ‘dopers’. In that post, the tennis player indirectly mocked Sharapova, her longtime rival who was given a two-year suspension in 2016 for using meldonium. Even Yastremska failed a drug test in 2021, and was subject to a ban.

However, after re-igniting a six-year feud with the Russian tennis player, the tennis player came under fire for labeling them as dopers without justification. After witnessing how people responded to her tweet, the Canadian tennis star later issued an apology. And explained that she had no intention of hurting anyone with her words.

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She wrote, “I want to apologize for my tweet yesterday. It was a lapse in judgment, and unnecessary. Though I’ve always championed fair play. I didn’t have all my facts in order and certainly didn’t mean to cause harm. I’m going to continue to work on myself going forward, both on and off the court.” 

Despite apologizing, Genie made sure to indirectly justify her remarks by mentioning how she always focuses on ‘championing fair play’. This was particularly evident during the time the Canadian player pointed to Sharapova as a cheater when she was still competing.

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The time when Bouchard called Sharapova a cheater 

Upon returning to the tennis court in 2017 after serving a 15-month suspension, Sharapova got hit with some harsh criticism from her Canadian rival. The two were all ready to compete in the Madrid Open that year. When Sharapova obtained a wild card to the championship, the then world number 5 tennis player called her a cheater.

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Furthermore, she emphasized that cheaters shouldn’t be permitted to play the sport again, as it is unfair to the other players who play fairly. After accusing the Russian tennis player of cheating, the 29-year-old didn’t back down and defeated her in the second round. Despite Bouchard’s strong words, Sharapova never responded to her comments. Will this time be any different?