Genie Bouchard stepped onto Championship Court at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, on Wednesday to take part in the PPA Hyundai Masters.
She was making her much-anticipated debut in professional pickleball, and, while accustomed to the pressures of tournament play, after all, she has played in a Wimbledon final, Bouchard found herself in trouble while navigating the nuances of pickleball, grappling with timeouts and court positioning.
“So Nervous And Stressed”
In an interview with PPA writer Andrew Gilman, she told him she had spent a lot of energy “just working on logistics and the setting of the game.”
She lost to another ex-tennis player Ekaterina Biakina and Bouchard wasn’t so sure if she enjoyed herself. She said she was “so nervous and stressed, I don’t know if I did.”
“Look, pickleball is crazy,” said Bouchard, before adding she was happy with how it went despite losing: “It was better than expected.”
Tennis Players Transitioning To Pickleball
Bouchard’s transition to pickleball follows a trend of tennis players exploring the sport, with her commitment to the PPA for 2024 likely influencing others to make a similar switch.
However, seasoned PPA player Travis Rettenmaier said, “Some who are jumping in can be really good for pickleball. They are going to train and put in the work.
“But there are others who see the ‘Gold Rush’ and just want the money and have no intention of going through the process of dinking for three or four hours a day and putting in the work it takes.”
Little Success So Far
As this year’s PPA Tour season unfolds, the influx of ex-tennis players into pickleball is already evident, with several notable ones participating at the Masters, the season’s inaugural event.
The good news for pickleball is these players seem committed to the tour and are not just using the PPA and pickleball as a side act. The bad news is, as a group, they have had little success so far.
Bouchard lost three times on Wednesday, including the singles match. She also fell in women’s doubles and in mixed doubles with Tyler Loong. Her first tournament is already over without making the weekend.
The Main Attraction
Bouchard has been the ex-tennis star attracting the most interest this week. Several PPA pros were courtside at her matches, including Loong, who offered a bit of coaching during the game.
“Tennis I’ve done since I was 5 years old,” Bouchard says. “This was so different and new. It was the fear of the unknown. I had months of practice, but I didn’t know what to expect. It was nerve-wracking.”
You would expect that Bouchard, who won a Wimbledon Girl’s title and then played in the women’s final, would be immune to nerves, but when entering a strange new world, everything changes.
“I wasn’t moving my feet; I wasn’t bending. I wasn’t hitting,” she said. “I think that’s due to nerves.”
Hitting Her Stride
After she lost her first game 1-11, Bouchard appeared to hit her stride. She started moving a bit more fluidly and hitting better shots. Her opponent called a pair of timeouts, and Bouchard looked significantly more confident and secure.
“I’m going to play a bunch of events this year, and the competitive person in me wants to do the best I can,” she said. “I need to get some practice in and some more matches in.
“I need to get out there in the heat of the moment. The positive thing is I got some points and didn’t completely embarrass myself. I’m proud that I was able to stay calm and get some points in that second game.
“I expect to be more competitive in the next tournament, but gimme a full year.”
