Eugenie Bouchard ‘would get hate’ for doing anything except tennis

Eugenie Bouchard recalled allowing social media negativity to brainwash her at the height of her career in 2014, which she said affected her confidence and her game.

The Canadian tennis star juggled fame and social media stardom when she reached the Wimbledon final that year at age 20 in 2014 and earned a career-high world ranking of No. 5.

But Bouchard, whose bikini photos and fashion posts are a staple on her social media pages, said in a recent interview with The Times that she was simultaneously struggling with hate online.

“Back in the day, I could train six hours during the day before later posting on social media about being at the movies and I would get hate,” Bouchard said. “It was like, well, social media isn’t an exact representation of my day.

“It’s great that the world has changed over the past 10 years and now not only is it acceptable to do off-court things, it’s actually encouraged. Back in the day, I felt like I was being shoved into a box, like you can’t do anything besides tennis. I was like, tennis has given me opportunities to explore the fashion world, TV and all these other things. Why would I say no? We’re talking about my life in its entirety here.

“I would get so much hate for doing anything other than tennis. It was a burden I would bear on my shoulders and it was really hard. At least it’s more accepted now. Not that I was the only pioneer to do these things but I feel like I made it a little bit more normal.”

Bouchard received criticism from some for posting on social media about her life outside of the sport.

The athlete attended red carpet events and Hollywood parties, which some found trivial due to the demands of her sport.

Bouchard’s whirlwind 2014 included her ending her working relationship with her coach Nick Saviano after eight years together, which is something she still regrets.

“There’s no blueprint on how to handle a huge life change like what I experienced in 2014,” Bouchard said “There’s no way to actually really prepare for that. Not me and not the people around me.

“Of course I look back and have small regrets. I would have not stopped working with my coach at the time. Looking back, I would have wanted to keep my coach for stability because I was already going through so much. Why change an important person in my team? I also think he was a great coach and would have helped me continue to improve.

“Also, I wouldn’t have taken things so personally and let the hate absorb into my brain. Brainwashing works and if you start hearing negative things about yourself over and over again, it’s hard not to believe it. I just wish I could have clocked that out more and not let it affect my confidence because it totally did affect how I thought about myself. It even affected how I played.”

Bouchard, who is currently ranked No. 524, has only played in one third-tier tournament this season.

The blonde beauty has since prioritized pickleball, she told The Times.

“It just seemed like a really unique opportunity and I love being a part of something that’s growing so quickly and is so popular right now,” Bouchard said. “Also there is challenging myself. I’ve done tennis for 25 years and I find it stimulating for my brain to try something new.

While tennis’ biggest stars were preparing for The Championships, which run through Sunday, July 14, Bouchard was playing pickleball at an event for the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA).

Bouchard said she started playing pickleball when she failed to qualify for last year’s U.S. Open. 

However, she’s not retiring from tennis yet.

Bouchard — whose career was slowed down by injuries, including a 2021 shoulder surgery — said she is planning to return to tennis at the beginning of August.

“I’m going to put tennis tournaments in where I can fit them in my schedule,” she said. “Tennis is what I love and what I still want to keep doing. The pickleball schedule is the priority but I do want to insert those tennis tournaments.”

“I want to achieve whatever I can,” Bouchard added. “I’m not doing a full-time tennis schedule, so of course I need to understand that there will be limitations. I think I want to do as well as I can in each individual tournament and see where that goes. But I love tennis and it’s not something I want to give up yet at all.”

On Thursday, Bouchard posted a photo to her Instagram of her at a tennis court in Miami captioned: “Welcome home.”