Former Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard said Wednesday that she will retire after playing in next week’s National Bank Open in her hometown of Montreal.
The National Bank Open subsequently announced that Bouchard will receive a main-draw wild card entry to the tournament.
Bouchard, 31, had an injury plagued career after taking the sport by storm with a dazzling performance in 2014. She won $6.9 million and was ranked as high as No. 5 in the world (2014).
“You’ll know when it’s time. For me, it’s now. Ending where it all started: Montreal,” Bouchard said on her social media sites.
Bouchard lost to Petra Kvitova in the Wimbledon final at age 20. Earlier in 2014, she was a semifinalist at the Australian Open (at age 19) and the French Open.
She also reached the quarterfinals of the 2015 Australian Open but never again reach the final eight at a Grand Slam tournament.
Bouchard won one WTA singles title (2014 at Nuremberg), participated in the 2016 Olympics and was part of Canada’s 2023 team that won the Billie Jean King Cup. She has a 299-228 record in WTA singles play.
“Few athletes have left as profound a mark on Canadian tennis as Genie has throughout her extraordinary career,” Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv said in a statement. “… Her career highlights, which include a Wimbledon final appearance and a Billie Jean King Cup championship, are nothing short of extraordinary and were a true catalyst for the development of tennis in our country. She’s been and still is an incredible ambassador for our sport.”
A major shoulder injury that hampered Bouchard in 2021 and 2022 marked the beginning of the end of her career. She played in just two WTA main-draw events over the past two seasons, one being last week’s Hall of Fame Open at Newport, R.I. when she lost in straight sets to Anna Rogers in the first round.
Bouchard recently has been playing pickleball, a sport growing in popularity. She is ranked No. 12 in women’s singles.
–Field Level Media
