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Former Wimbledon finalist announces retirement at 31 with emotional 15-word post just weeks after shock return to tennis

Former Wimbledon finalist announces retirement at 31 with emotional 15-word post just weeks after shock return to tennis

Scottish Sun16-07-2025
FORMER Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard has announced her retirement from tennis aged 31 – just weeks after making a shock return to the sport.
The Canadian ace was once tipped to become a global star after reaching the final of Wimbledon in 2014.
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Eugenie Bouchard has announced her retirement from tennis aged 31
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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The ace reached the final of Wimbledon in 2014 at 20 years old
Credit: AFP
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Bouchard shared a throwback snap as she bid farewell on social media
Credit: https://www.instagram.com/geniebouchard/
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The ace will have one last tennis outing later this month
Credit: Getty
Bouchard was just 20 years old at the time when she came up against former champ Petra Kvitova.
There was heartbreak for Bouchard as she lost 6-3 6-0 to the Czech.
But despite reaching the semis of the Australian and French Opens in the same year, Bouchard never made another final.
Instead, her career took a downward turn.
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Bouchard, who was ranked No5 in the world in 2014, slipped to No48 just a year later.
And as injuries took their toll, she gradually faded from the women's game entirely.
Despite raking in a fortune with modelling work, Bouchard eventually turned to the trendy sport of pickleball.
But she left fans stunned when she revealed plans to play tennis' Hall of Fame Open this month.
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Bouchard was defeated early on in the Round of 32, losing 7-6 5-2 to Anna Rogers.
And now, the Canadian has declared she is finally hanging up her racket and balls for good.
Former Wimbledon star Eugenie Bouchard 'gets personal' as she dishes out vicious revenge after brutal hit in pickleball
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Bouchard has also made a mint as a model
Credit: Instagram / @geniebouchard
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She regularly shares saucy snaps on social media
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Bouchard was once ranked No5 in the world
Credit: Splash News
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She later took up the trendy sport of pickleball
Credit: Splash
Bouchard said alongside a throwback picture on social media: 'You'll know when it's time.
'For me, it's now. Ending where it all started. Montreal.'
Fans will still get to see Bouchard one last time when she takes part at the 2025 Canadian Open later this month.
Gavin Ziv, CEO of Tennis Canada, said: 'Few athletes have left as profound a mark on Canadian tennis as Genie [Bouchard] has throughout her extraordinary career.
'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.'
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Catchin' Sachin - Joe's route to 15,921
Catchin' Sachin - Joe's route to 15,921

BBC News

time9 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Catchin' Sachin - Joe's route to 15,921

In the fourth round of the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, Roger Federer played his first and only competitive singles match against Pete Pete was a seven-time champion at the All England Club. Federer, a 19-year-old with a terrible ponytail and no major titles to his name, stunned the GOAT in five sets. Sampras played one more Wimbledon and Federer would go on to outstrip the American with eight is littered with torch-passing moments. Some obvious, others that reveal themselves in the fullness of 2012. Joe Root, days shy of his 22nd birthday, was called into the England Test side for the first time. Facing a four-pronged India spin attack, he impressed batting in his brand new navy blue cap. Scores of 73 and 20 not out helped England to a draw that sealed a famous 2-1 series the India team was Sachin Tendulkar. It was the singular occasion he shared the same field with Root in international cricket. Tendulkar, 39 at the time, played just six more Tests and did not make another hundred. 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Joe is on the route to 15,922.

How Joe Root compares to greats after moving second on list of Test run-scorers
How Joe Root compares to greats after moving second on list of Test run-scorers

South Wales Guardian

timean hour ago

  • South Wales Guardian

How Joe Root compares to greats after moving second on list of Test run-scorers

Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares to the greats of the game. One more rung to climb… 🪜 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 25, 2025 – Root climbed from fifth at the start of the Old Trafford Test to second as his score of 150 took him past India great Rahul Dravid, former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis and ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting – who hailed Root as 'magnificent' while commentating for Sky Sports. – Sachin Tendulkar's 15,921 runs remains the all-time Test record, with Root now 2,512 behind on 13,409. – Sir Alastair Cook, whose England record of 12,472 Root passed last year, ranks sixth on the list. – The top 10 is completed by Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, West Indies pair Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sangakkara's long-time team-mate Mahela Jayawardene. – Fifteen men in all have passed 10,000 runs in Test cricket, with Australian trio Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Steve Smith, India's Sunil Gavaskar and Pakistan's Younis Khan, with 10,099, rounding out that group. New Zealand's Kane Williamson, on 9,276, is the nearest active player outside that mark. – Root has 13,409 Test runs at an average of 51.18, in 157 matches and 286 innings. – He made his Test debut in 2012, scoring 73 against India in his first innings. – The first of his England-record 38 centuries came the following year against New Zealand. His 66 half-centuries are also the most for his country. – Root's most prolific year brought him 1,708 Test runs in 2021 at an average of 61 – though his best average for a single year is 97.13 in 2014, helped by unbeaten scores of 200 against Sri Lanka and 154 and 149 against India. – He has more runs against India than any other nation, 3,249 in 34 Tests, with Friday's effort his 12th ton against them. He has over 1,000 runs against every opponent bar Bangladesh and Ireland, against whom he has played just two Tests each, and Zimbabwe (one). – Over 8,000 of Root's runs have been made in his customary number four position, where he averages 52.11. His best average by position is 61.05 at number five while his career-best score of 262 was made at number three, against Pakistan last year. – Earlier in the series against India, he also set a world record with his 211th Test catch, passing Dravid at the top of that list.

How Joe Root compares to greats after moving second on list of Test run-scorers
How Joe Root compares to greats after moving second on list of Test run-scorers

South Wales Argus

timean hour ago

  • South Wales Argus

How Joe Root compares to greats after moving second on list of Test run-scorers

Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares to the greats of the game. Climbing the ranks One more rung to climb… 🪜 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 25, 2025 – Root climbed from fifth at the start of the Old Trafford Test to second as his score of 150 took him past India great Rahul Dravid, former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis and ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting – who hailed Root as 'magnificent' while commentating for Sky Sports. – Sachin Tendulkar's 15,921 runs remains the all-time Test record, with Root now 2,512 behind on 13,409. – Sir Alastair Cook, whose England record of 12,472 Root passed last year, ranks sixth on the list. – The top 10 is completed by Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, West Indies pair Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sangakkara's long-time team-mate Mahela Jayawardene. – Fifteen men in all have passed 10,000 runs in Test cricket, with Australian trio Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Steve Smith, India's Sunil Gavaskar and Pakistan's Younis Khan, with 10,099, rounding out that group. New Zealand's Kane Williamson, on 9,276, is the nearest active player outside that mark. Root's record Root has been a consistent presence in England's top order (Nick Potts/PA) – Root has 13,409 Test runs at an average of 51.18, in 157 matches and 286 innings. – He made his Test debut in 2012, scoring 73 against India in his first innings. – The first of his England-record 38 centuries came the following year against New Zealand. His 66 half-centuries are also the most for his country. – Root's most prolific year brought him 1,708 Test runs in 2021 at an average of 61 – though his best average for a single year is 97.13 in 2014, helped by unbeaten scores of 200 against Sri Lanka and 154 and 149 against India. – He has more runs against India than any other nation, 3,249 in 34 Tests, with Friday's effort his 12th ton against them. He has over 1,000 runs against every opponent bar Bangladesh and Ireland, against whom he has played just two Tests each, and Zimbabwe (one). – Over 8,000 of Root's runs have been made in his customary number four position, where he averages 52.11. His best average by position is 61.05 at number five while his career-best score of 262 was made at number three, against Pakistan last year. – Earlier in the series against India, he also set a world record with his 211th Test catch, passing Dravid at the top of that list.

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