The retirement phase is difficult for anyone in any profession. However, for sportspeople, it means the end of their traveling on the road in various tournaments across the globe. Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard is going through such emotions lately after calling an end to her professional tennis career. The 31-year-old announced that she will call it quits after the Canadian Open this year, which will be her home tournament. However, hours after announcing her sudden retirement, Bouchard did something that one can hardly imagine out of a star who has announced retirement.

Taking to her official Instagram handle, Bouchard shared glimpses of her time in Montreal as a young tennis player. She spent several years there, taking baby steps in the sport and subsequently announcing herself on the big stage. In the caption, Bouchard wrote, “You’ll know when it’s time. For me, it’s now. Ending where it all started: Montreal,” as she made her intentions to retire clear.

However, hours after announcing her retirement, Bouchard took to her Instagram story to share another glimpse of her, this time after an intense tennis session. She trained hard ahead of the Canadian Open and looked dedicated to making it big in the last tournament of her professional tennis career. “Announces retirement, goes to practice,” Bouchard wrote, as she sweated it out in an intense session.

Bouchard will be given a wildcard entry into the Canadian Open, a tournament wherein she made her main draw debut back in 2012 as a teenager. Meanwhile, the director of the tournament, Valérie Tétreault, was thrilled to see Bouchard playing in the Canadian Open before her retirement. She said, “We are very honoured that Genie decided to retire at her home tournament in Montreal and we look forward to celebrating her career and lasting heritage with our fans. 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. We are proud of everything she has done, as a player and role model, and we can’t wait to see her in action one last time at IGA Stadium this summer.” 

Amid a turbulent tennis career, Bouchard took to Pickleball in recent years. During an interview, she opened up about playing Pickleball instead of tennis.

Eugenie Bouchard’s transition to Pickleball

Back in 2023, when Bouchard was playing in the US Open, she was approached by the Professional Pickleball Association Tour. With injuries taking a toll on her tennis career, she took to Pickleball and even plays it professionally. Bouchard even played the Pickleball Slam this year, where she teamed up with Andy Roddick. The duo lost out to the pairing of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. Nonetheless, Bouchard is slowly and steadily growing in this sport.

During an interview, she said, “I didn’t like it at first because I was losing and I felt uncomfortable and awkward on the pickleball court. It was like, ‘Put me on the last court so no one sees the train wreck that’s about to happen.’ But I’ve slowly found my footing.”

However, for now, Eugenie Bouchard has shifted her focus back to tennis and hopes to have one last laugh before she retires. It’ll be interesting to see how she performs in the final tournament of her career in Montreal.