Former Wimbledon finalist Bouchard set to retire after Montreal Open
Eugenie Bouchard, who burst onto the tennis scene with great fanfare and later set the standard for women's tennis in Canada, has announced that she will retire from professional tennis this summer.
Her final tournament will be the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, where she has accepted a wild card into the main draw. It's a fitting final destination for the former World No. 5, who was born and spent the early part of her life in Montreal. It will be her 15th career appearance at the 1000-level event.
Bouchard, who turned pro in 2009, started to turn heads after being named the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2013.
But it was the following year when she became a true household name across the globe. After reaching the semi-finals of the Australian and French Opens — and capturing her first career singles title, in Nuremberg — she went on a historic run to the Wimbledon final, becoming the first Canadian woman in the Open Era to play for a Grand Slam singles title. (She fell 6-3, 6-0 to Petra Kvitova, who is also set to retire this year.) The 31-year-old's brilliant 2014 earned her a spot among the top 8 players in the year-end WTA Finals.
Bouchard also played a key role in supporting and advancing Canadian tennis throughout her career, representing her country in the Olympics in 2016 and playing in 10 Billie Jean King Cup ties, earning 13 victories.
Most recently, in 2023, Bouchard — along with teammates Leylah Fernandez , Rebecca Marino , Marina Stakusic , and Gabriela Dabrowski — helped Canada take home its first-ever Billie Jean King Cup.
'Few athletes have left as profound a mark on Canadian tennis as Genie [Bouchard] has throughout her extraordinary career,' said Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Canada.
'As one of the very first players to ever be part of the National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers in Montreal, she achieved things that many thought would be impossible for Canadian players.
'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 and, on behalf of Tennis Canada, I want to thank her for everything she's done. We wish her continued success in the next chapter of her career.'
The National Bank Open kicks off on July 27, and Bouchard will be in action either that day or the following day, July 28. (It depends on the outcome of the official draw, which will come out on July 26.)
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