Ex-world #5 ranked tennis player Eugenie Bouchard is still the highest-profile ex-tennista to have switched over to pickleball. We have seen Jack Sock, Donald Young, and Sam Querrey grace the pro courts, but nobody of quite Bouchard’s stature.
A Bag Of Nerves
We reported recently how badly her pro pickleball debut turned out for her. She was reputedly a bag of nerves and was quoted as saying, “I got totally smoked in the first game that I played.”
She went on to clarify, “I played in Palm Springs for my first event in mid-January, and I was very, very nervous, like wanting to throw up before my first match. I improved as the day went on. I had singles and mixed doubles and then women’s doubles, all on the same day.”
However, she had seemed relaxed before her performance and didn’t rule out a return to tennis at some point:
“I’m very excited to just challenge myself with this new pickle chapter and then still remain in the tennis world that I love.”
“Why Give Up Tennis For This?”
A selection of Eugenie Bouchard’s least impressive moments or “lowlights” from the match was posted on social media, featuring several clips of her sending her ball into the net and missing what appeared to be straightforward shots.
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/XZuQlItF1I
— Swagata (@socorooopova) February 11, 2024
Consequently, tennis fans were finding it hard to understand why the 29-year-old had decided to give pickleball a go.
“Why give up tennis for this?” one fan posted. While another wrote, “Bouchard should’ve given tennis another real honest chance instead of whatever this is.”
Some went a little further and were quite scathing: “All these months practicing just to show up as a disaster,” posted a disgruntled follower, although the worst comment came from@_harry91. He said, “Not her being sh*t at pickleball too.”
Not her being shit at pickle ball too 😭 https://t.co/I9oikU4V6i
— Harry (@_harry91) February 11, 2024
Valentine’s Day Pickleball Pickup Lines
She’s resilient, though, and the rather traumatic experience doesn’t seem to have damaged her enthusiasm as she took part in a fun session for Valentine’s Day on Instagram where the PPA asked players to come up with a pickleball-related pickup line.
The videos posted included pro pickleball players such as Bouchard, Jaume Martinez Vich, Ryan Sherry, and Jocelyn Devilliers.
Unfortunately, Bouchard’s response was nothing to write home about, and she jokingly pleaded with fans not to make fun of her over it.
“Um, I would say, uh, I’ll step into the kitchen or something like that,” she said.
The Canadian gamely reshared the video on her Instagram account, adding the comment, “I had 3 seconds to come up with this; don’t judge me.”
